Mid Winter Forum Presentations

What a great mid winter forum. Thank you to all of the presenters for their insightful presentations.

Below is a link to the presentations:

Forum Presentations for website

Water Safety Champion Awards 2019 (Taonga Tuku, Whakaihuwaka Wai Haumaru 2019)

Nominations are open for our Water Safety Champion Awards

https://www.surveygizmo.com/…/Water-Safety-Champion-Awards-…

Purpose:

The DPA Water Safety Awards recognise individuals and organisations that have demonstrated commitment, initiative and leadership in the ‘championing’ of water safety education in the Auckland region.
This could include delivering water safety education, creating or implementing solutions that address behaviours or a problem, or raise awareness around a specific drowning issue.

Time Frame:

Friday 1 November 2019 – Nominations close
Friday 15 November 2019 – Finalists announced
Monday 2 December 2019 – Awards presented at DPA AGM

Conditions of entry:

Employees of Drowning Prevention Auckland are not eligible to enter or be nominated in these Awards.
Nominations close 1 November 2019.
Nominees may be nominated for more than one category.
To be valid, nominations must be received on the prescribed form, completed, with all relevant supporting documentation.
Judging is entirely neutral and based on merit and will be undertaken by a panel of three individuals. Discussion will remain confidential and no correspondence will be entered in to.
Information provided in nominations (including any images/videos) may be publicly available and may also feature in Drowning Prevention Auckland coverage unless otherwise requested.
Contribution must have been made in the Auckland region, in the previous 12 month in the case of the Community and Individual categories.

Nomination Process:

Nominations can be made online at: https://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/5093084/Water-Safety-Champion-Awards-2019
Additional supporting documents, photos and/or videos are welcomed. Email to samantha@dpanz.org.nz, or share via Dropbox or other file sharing platforms.
All information collected for the purposes of the Drowning Prevention Auckland Water Safety Champion Awards 2019 will be kept confidential.
Entries close midday Friday 1^st November 2019.
For more information about the awards process or if you need assistance with submitting your nomination please contact:

Samantha Gunther

Business Manager

Drowning Prevention Auckland

P: 021 129 2760

E: samantha@dpanz.org.nz

Drowning Prevention Auckland Receives Funding to Create 5 New Lifejacket Hubs

Westhaven, Auckland – Drowning Prevention Auckland has been successful in receiving funding for five lifejacket hubs from Maritime NZ.

Auckland is very much surrounded by water environments and a large number of Aucklanders and visitors make use of our water environments. With that; Auckland sadly has the highest number of drownings in the country as it has the highest population. We need to continue our education, collaboration and equipping Aucklander’s and visitors with the right equipment and knowledge to bring the drowning toll down.

Our lifejacket hub project supports strong organisations and clubs to make a difference in reducing drownings. Together we can make lifejackets available to the community through the hubs located around the Auckland region.

The lifejacket hubs will be located in various parts of Auckland. such as boats clubs, surf clubs and community venues where they also support the community for easy accessibility to all Aucklanders. Through these lifejacket hubs we can get key water safety and boating safety messages out and known to all.

This funding will setup five lifejacket hubs in the Auckland region in the following authorities: Rodney District, Waitakere, Auckland City, Franklin District and Manukau City. Each lifejacket hub will have 70 child and adult sized lifejackets available to the community. These lifejackets will equip a large number of Aucklander’s and visitors with lifejackets as needed on boats 6m and under and other water craft.

As Maritime NZ says: “Lifejackets are essential for all recreational activities on the water”. “Each year on average, 19 or 20 people die in recreational boating accidents in New Zealand. Research shows that not wearing a lifejacket is the leading risk factor”.

By having the lifejacket hubs; we want to equip people with a lifejacket when going out onto the water and we want to take the risk factor away and bring down the drowning toll.

Our main aim with this project is to educate and equip the people or groups with the right equipment and key water safety education before they head out onto the water.

For further questions, please contact: samantha@dpanz.org.nz

Press Release: Drowning Prevention Auckland to present at the World Conference on Drowning Prevention

Westhaven, Auckland – Drowning Prevention Auckland has had seven abstracts accepted for the upcoming World Conference on Drowning Prevention 8^th – 10^th October in Durban, South Africa.

This biennial conference brings together the world’s leading experts, research, systems and information on drowning prevention, rescue, lifesaving and water safety. The exchange, debate and development are designed to find ways to reduce death and injury in all aquatic environments worldwide.

Drowning Prevention Auckland is excited to present the following abstracts at this prominent conference:

Aquatic education in New Zealand schools; a sustainable approach for life-long learning.
Teaching 15 water competencies in a water safety intervention through eLearning.
Older, wiser, riskier? Perceptions of water competency and drowning risk among older adults.
What is the difference? – Perceived and actual adult water competence in open water
Online learning for developing Water Competence.

Drowning Prevention Auckland will be represented by our esteemed Research Officer: Teresa Stanley and Aquatic Educator: Lynley Stewart. They have both been working at the organisation and in the sector for many years and are abundantly experienced.

Drowning Prevention Auckland’s Chief Executive, Davin Bray, says that the upcoming World Conference on Drowning Prevention is a great platform to present what we have been researching and implementing for the past two years, and what we plan on doing in the future. We find ourselves leading the way in how we educate and communicate to prevent drownings. It is great to see our hard work getting recognised. Also invaluable is the opportunity to learn, bring back ideas to implement to ensure we continue to deliver best practice.

More information can be found at: www.dpanz.org.nz

For further questions, please contact: samantha@dpanz.org.nz

Mid Winter Forum

When: 4.00pm – 6.00pm, Monday 1st July 2019.
Where: 85 Westhaven Drive, Westhaven, Auckland.

Agenda:

4.00pm: Arrival (Tea & Coffee)

4.15pm: Welcome and Update on DPA e-Learning

4.25pm: Pania Elliott from Auckland Council
Navigational Safety Bylaw 2014 Review

4.35pm: Stacey Pidgeon from RLSS Australia
Utilising models and frameworks to assess drowning risk
and to guide prevention strategies

5.05pm: Teresa Stanley from Drowning Prevention Auckland
Are older adults at increased risk of drowning?

5.25pm: Dr Kevin Moran from Drowning Prevention Auckland
Can you get in (safely)?

5.45pm: Panel / Questions

6.00pm: Refreshments

Kevin Moran in the NZ Listener Magazine

Our very own Kevin Moran contributed to this NZ Listener article this month. Have a read.

How to stay water safe this summer

Westhaven, Auckland – Drowning Prevention Auckland, the lead agency for water safety coordination and education in the Auckland region, wants to share its four main messages to remember this summer.

Sadly, in 2017 22 people died in preventable drowning incidents in Auckland, double that of 2016. Most (68%) of the drownings in Auckland were male, and almost a quarter (23%) each were aged 15-24 years and over 65 years.

Over half (55%) of the drownings were immersion incidents where people hadn’t intended being in the water. The highest environmental risk in Auckland is beaches where almost one quarter (23%) of drownings occurred. The rate of drowning in the Auckland region at (1.7 per capita) remains one of the lowest in the country. [1]

There have been 12 preventable* drowning deaths in Auckland in the year to December 7, 2018, as per the Water Safety New Zealand report.

Our vision is an Auckland, free from drowning, achieved through the development of water competence and changing knowledge, attitudes and behaviours around water.

The four main messages we suggest all Aucklander’s remember this summer are:

Don’t putyour life on the line, wear a LIFEJACKET.
Lifejackets are essential for all recreational activities on the water. Everyone on board a boat 6 metres and under should wear a lifejacket. Make sure the lifejacket fits you correctly. Adults wearing lifejackets in front of the children sets a good example.
Reach me, See me, Hear me.
Active supervision of children at all times is crucial to prevent drownings from happening. Active supervision means children are within sight and reach and the supervisor isn’t distracted. Add other layers of protection such as pool fences and gates or eliminating the risk by emptying paddling pools after use.
Chief executive of Drowning Prevention Auckland, Davin Bray has said “drowning is silent – there is no splash or scream to alert you. As a father I know how quickly things can happen with children, who are inquisitive and naturally drawn to water”.
Don’t underestimate the risks, don’t overestimate your ability
Know your limits. Don’t assume your level of competence in the pool is the same in moving, cold open water.
4Rs Bystander Rescue = Recognise, Respond, Rescue,Revive.
Recognise: Drowning occurs quietly so its important to recognise when someone is in trouble. Look for signs of distress,like they can’t swim or they look afraid or like they are struggling. Shout“Are you ok”. Ask yourself how you think you can help. Also think, how can others help.
Respond: If the person needs help, provide flotation. Send for help, get someone to call 111 and ask for police.
Rescue: Rescuing from land is the safest. Getting in the water puts the rescuer at risk of drowning themselves. If there is no other option, remember to take a flotation aid. Stay clear of the person – a drowning person can easily drag you under. Often reassurance and encouragement to kick, float on their back or swim to safety can work.
Revive: Provide care to rescued person. If the person is unresponsive and not breathing normally start CPR. If breathing, keep airway clear and put in recovery position. Stay until help arrives. Ensure the person gets medical attention.

For further questions, please contact: samantha@dpanz.org.nz

[1] WSNZ (2018). Drownbase. New Zealand and Auckland Region Preventable and Non Preventable Drowning Fatalities 2013-2017.

Press Release: Drowning Prevention Auckland launches brand new website and a New Zealand first eLearning platform

06/12/2018

Westhaven, Auckland – Drowning Prevention Auckland with 360 New Zealand’s expertise have developed a New Zealand first eLearning platform for water safety and have updated their website. The online programme allows participants to learn about the basic water competencies from anywhere in the world, free of charge.

The aim of our eLearning platform is to increase the understanding and knowledge of water safety, as well as assist in the development of practical skills, within the community, workplace and school. Participants can acquaint themselves with competencies before practising in a pool or open water. The area of focus for this online programme has enormous potential as it is designed to suit a range of participants. The current eLearning programme is designed for teenagers, adults, parents and educators.

We captured video footage in three separate water environments – controlled water, open water and moving water. The eLearning platform has modules relating to the unique 15 water competencies as per research conducted by Stallman, R.K., Moran, K., Quan, L., & Langendorfer, S. (2017). Learners can complete a variety of tasks within each module. The tasks have student activities, teaching resources and videos that demonstrate the competency.

The interactive platform allows for sustainable learning, overall consistency of education and a free online tool accessible to all.

The eLearning platform is a sustainable form of aquatic education accessible to many people; whilst not replacing practical learning. It is another tool that aids in drowning prevention education. Drowning Prevention Auckland will continue to develop this online learning experience by including further resources and guides that link to the 15 water competencies.

Drowning Prevention Auckland’s Chief Executive; Davin Bray says that the eLearning platform has been a lot of work in the making and is glad that it has culminated in a New Zealand first. He continues to say there are so many benefits to the platform including the fact that we can educate so many more people with our consistent messages.

For further questions, please contact: samantha@dpanz.org.nz

WATER SAFETY NEW ZEALAND MASTERS SCHOLARSHIP

This scholarship is attached to a Water Safety New Zealand funded study that is focused on understanding how different factors contribute to drowning risk for different individuals and groups and aims to ensure the water safety sector can:

design interventions that will result in meaningful change to a person’s behaviour that will lower their drowning risk
target interventions at the individuals who we have identified as at highest risk of drowning.

Water Safety New Zealand are interested in research in relation to targeted communities or groups who have a specific risk profile. Therefore, research on risk should be considered within the context of the specific environment or communities of interest.

Communities of Interest

For the purposes of this research, Water Safety New Zealand are interested in research on People and Prevention within the Auckland or Northland region. The research topic should include one of the following communities of interest:

People

Males aged 45+ with an emphasis in Northland on males aged 65+ years
Pacific People
Maori
New migrants, tourists and visitors to New Zealand

Environments

Salt water environments Beaches, Offshore and Tidal waters
Home pools

Activities

Immersion incidents (incidents where the deceased never intended on getting into the water),
Powered boats, swimming and underwater activities (diving) are the most common activities.

The research project will be supervised by Dr Denise Atkins – Email: denise.atkins@aut.ac.nz and Dr Matt Barker email: mbarker@aut.ac.nz – School of Sport and Recreation.

APPLICATION PROCESS

Applicants must meet the eligibility criteria as set out in the Scholarship Regulations and apply online via the application portal available from the AUT Scholarships database www.aut.ac.nz/scholarships

Closing date: 18 January 2019

Water Safety Champions Awards 2018

Our Water Safety Champion Awards, recognising organisations, community groups and individuals that have demonstrated commitment, initiative and leadership in the ‘championing’ of water safety education in the Auckland region. This could include delivering water safety education, creating or implementing solutions that address specific behaviours or problems, or raise awareness around a specific drowning issue.

Congratulations to all that got nominated, were finalists and winners of the Water Safety Champion Awards this year.

Individual Water Safety Champion

Finalists

David Zhu
In this past year David has contributed to water safety in the following ways:
– Collaborated with DPA on various water safety programs and presentations focussed the North Shore Chinese community. These presentations included Rock Fishing seminars, mum and kids water safety workshops, learn to surf and he helped us deliver our west coast experience to Chinese youth.
– David also helped us interpreting to the Chinese community
Gill Bloxham
Gill has been instrumental in improving both her students at Rutherford college’s knowledge and understanding about water safety but also the community.
In order to get the school pool used more she also asked DPA to train her junior sports committee so she could use both junior and senior sports committee members to supervise free swimming at lunchtimes at the school.
Gill has been instrumental in a number of her students getting qualified with their PLPC during the school holidays through the Gateway programme. All in the hopes of making opening the school pool to the community over the summer months a possibility and using students as lifeguards to lead this.
Kaleb Cave
Kaleb is the Manukau Cruising Clubs new Fishing Captain this year and he comes with a passion at getting kids outdoors with their families and into fishing .
Kaleb’s key message is keeping our tamariki safe , healthy and happy and is a champion in promoting water safety around land based fishing .
He is also actively promotes water safety in his land based fishing excursions with adult groups.
Geoffrey Bray
Sgt Geoff Bray of the NZ Police National Dive Squad has been active in drowning prevention for over eight years.
He spends a huge amount of his personal time volunteering assisting charities and community members with river safety training. You can find him on his days off helping out at Vector Wero, giving advice to staff and to other stakeholders across the region.
He also is on the global board (voluntary) for the International Technical Rescue Association and an instructor for this organisation. He is active in talking to fellow divers about diver safety which actively contributes to drowning prevention.

Winner: Geoffrey Bray

Community Water Safety Champion

Finalists

AUT Millennium
AUT Millennium is one of the biggest providers of water safety education in Auckland. Our Schools Water Safety, Waterwise and Learn to Swim Programmes are predominantly populated by local North Shore schools, and the School EOTC Activity Days, which includes the Water Safety programme, is extended to schools across wider Auckland.
They are the largest provider of Coastguards “Safe Boating Program” in NZ
John Walker Find Your Field of Dreams
Established in 2008 Community Swim has provided over 1,000,000 free swim lessons throughout primary schools in Auckland South. The goal of the Community Swim Programme is to enable all children to develop the basic life skill of swimming and to realize the opportunities that await them when the door to the world of aquatics is opened. Community Swim takes away barriers teachers and schools face in providing basic yet essential swimming and water safety skills. Students are picked up from school in the Community Swim buses and driven to one of our pools in south and east Auckland, where they receive seven swimming lessons.
Harbour Sport
Harbour Sports ActivAsian program has contributed to water safety in the Auckland region in a number of ways in the past year.
Collaborated with DPA on various water safety programs and presentations focussed the North Shore Chinese community. These presentations included Rock Fishing seminars, mum and kids water safety workshops, learn to surf and he helped us deliver our west coast experience to Chinese youth.
They have also helped us interpreting to the Chinese community
Manukau Cruising Club
The Manukau Cruising Club promote water safety consistently. The club is not only advocates but influencer’s in making a difference in sailing, boating, fishing and other water activities.
There key initiatives are:
– Water Safety Knowledge
– Understanding Risk
– Survival Skills
– Parents Improving their knowledge
– Ensuring Life Jackets are a key component for safety in our water activities
– Supporting water safety initiatives

Winner: Manukau Cruising Club

Long Service Water Safety Champion

Finalists

Karla McCaughan
Karla has been involved in the aquatics industry for 30 years. She lives and breathes swimming and water safety and is passionate about drowning prevention, especially in the Under-5 age group. She has developed several programmes that work towards achieving zero drowning in this age group by the year 2020. She recently entered into a partnership with Plunket Auckland with the goal of providing free basic water safety education to all Auckland preschoolers. To date, they have delivered to over 75,000 children, with a target of 100,000 by the end of 2017. In 2000 she established a boutique Swim School called Little Dippers that has successfully taught over 20,000 Northland children to swim
Ian Ferguson
Ian Ferguson is a household name, thanks to his impressive Olympic gold winning endeavours at Kayaking. What is not so well recognised, was his dream and passion in creating Vector Wero whitewater park. Now retired, he can be proud of this legacy of this world class facility. It would be nice to see him recognised for his significant contribution to creating a space that actively reduces drowning through education.

Winner: Ian Ferguson

Auckland drowning fatalities YTD

There has been 12 preventable* drowning deaths in Auckland in the year to November 27, 2020, reports Water Safety New Zealand.

There were 17 preventable* drowning deaths in Auckland in the 2019 year, reports WSNZ.

There were 13 preventable* drowning deaths in Auckland in the 2018 year; reports WSNZ. 79% of these preventable drownings were male. 21% were 15-24 year olds and 36% of them were from the 65+ age group. 64% of these drownings were at beaches.

In 2017 22 people died in preventable drowning incidents in Auckland, double that of the 2016 number. 68% of the drownings in Auckland are males and 23% each from the 15-24 age group and the 65+ age group.

Immersion incidents had the highest activity drowning percentage at 55%. Beaches had the highest environmental percentage at 23%. The rate of drowning in the Auckland region at (1.7 per capita) remains one of the lowest in the country.

Watch the swells and wear a lifejacket: Auckland rock fishing safety task force

The sun may be out but don’t be fooled into thinking conditions are safe, Auckland’s rock fishing safety task force warns fishers as they head out to take advantage of the long weekend and break in the weather to go fishing at their favourite west coast spot.

“We appeal also to the families of the [mainly] men who fish off the rocks to urge their fathers, husbands and sons to act responsibly, especially around wearing a lifejacket, so they get home safely at the end of the day,” says Davin Bray, Chief Executive, Drowning Prevention Auckland.

There remains a significant risk attached to west coast rock fishing, a risk that is heightened when a big surf is running, all it takes is one rogue wave to dislodge a person, says Surf Life Saving Northern Region Operations Manager Adam Wooler.

“Wearing a lifejacket may mean the difference between life and death, and every incident on the rocks doesn’t just put the person in the water at risk – it also poses a risk to others trying to assist them, including our lifeguards,” he says.

The arrival of summer and holidays has seen a surge in numbers fishing off the rocks and the task force has been carrying out campaign activities to raise awareness about the risks involved, including Rock Fishing Safety Advisor ‘Rockman’ Sam Turbott who, along with jet ski driver Willy Goer, cruises the coastline gathering data on fisher activity, surveying fishers and passing on valuable safety advice.

“Thanks to the support of Dunedin company TracPlus who loaned us a GPS tracking device, we are able to geo-reference the rock fishing hotspots and help keep Sam safe by knowing where he is at all times,” says Adam.

Drowning Prevention Auckland, Surf Life Saving Northern Region and Auckland Council are partners in a joint task force aimed at reducing fatalities among the fisher population on Auckland’s unpredictable and wild west coast.

“Our joint campaign has made a significant impact on reducing the number of drownings and influencing behaviour change. However, there is more work to do as some fishers continue to place themselves at risk by choosing not to wear a lifejacket, which could ultimately save their life. The west coast is a dynamic environment that requires respect in order to stay safe,” says Auckland Council’s Parks, Sports & Recreation Manager Mace Ward.

Ends

For further information or to arrange interviews, contact:

Drowning Prevention Auckland: Davin Bray, 021 681 503, davin.bray@dpanz.org.nz
SLSNR: Ron Murray, Wright Communications, 027 807 7354 ron@wrightcommunications.co.nz
Auckland Council: Emily Thorn, Publicity Specialist, 021 732 353 emily.thorn@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz

Background

The West Coast Rock Fishing Safety project has been in place 12 years, during which time drowning fatalities have reduced to less than one per annum. The annual project survey report, authored by Auckland University researcher and Drowning Prevention Auckland Board Member Dr Kevin Moran, offers an insight on to the impact of this collaborative intervention. During the 2016-2017 season, 211 rock-fishers were interviewed on their thoughts and habits around rock-fishing risks and precautions. It showed that 24% of those interviewed didn’t “often” or “always” use a lifejacket on the rocks, with no change from 2016 (24%), but dramatically down on the 40% in 2015. This is of concern. Positively, there was almost a four-fold increase in fishers sometimes wearing a lifejacket, (41%, 2017; 11%, 2016), and fishers reporting they never wore a lifejacket dropped by almost 50% (37%, 2017; 65%, 2016). Read Dr Moran’s 2017 report.

Safety advice for rock fishers

Wear a lifejacket – this offers the best chance of survival should you fall in the water.
Wear light, warm clothing and sport shoes – not gumboots.
Check the swell, weather and tide forecast before choosing your fishing location.
Avoid getting cut off by an incoming tide, plan an escape route.
Keep your eyes on the sea, be prepared to climb to safety.
Fish with someone who has fishing experience and knows the site well.
Follow the advice of safety signs and warnings.
Know who and how to get help in an emergency, carry a mobile, call 111.
Tell someone where you are going and when you will return.
If someone falls in the water:
- Pick up an angel ring or flotation device
- Throw it to the person in the water
- Call 111 for police, report your location and emergency. Send someone to find help, a lifeguard.