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Water Safety NZ is calling on everyone, but particularly men, to step up this summer and take safety around water seriously.
Last year, of the 90 people who drowned, 76 were male. Already this year, 70 families have lost one of their own in a drowning incident.
Water Safety chief executive Daniel Gerrard says around 30 Kiwis, mostly male, will drown over the next two months.
“Some might make it to celebrate the festive season with their family, but most won’t get to see the New Year,” he says.
“No one is planning to become ‘That Guy’, but it’s now or never to make a real effort about being safe in, on and around water as we enjoy our beaches, lake and rivers. While these spots become summer playgrounds and pantries, let’s make sure that don’t also become our graves.”
Gerrard says pakeha males in power boats, Maori men gathering kai underwater, Asian men fishing from rocks and Pasifika men fishing from boats are consistently over-represented in drowning tragedies. He says it is blatantly obvious that Kiwis are underestimating their risks while around water.
“By knowing the conditions, supervising the kids, wearing a lifejacket and remembering that you’re not as good as you were when you were 20, you will make it home at the end of the day.”
Drowning insights: if you’re male and 55+, pay attention
Last year, Māori, Asian and NZ European drowning deaths of males aged 55+ were the highest numbers on record.
The current 55+ males cohort is one that appears to be risk takers (shown through drowning fatality numbers) throughout their adult lives.
The proportion of incidents over time for males over 55 has also increased, possibly indicating that the boomers remain more active in their older years than earlier generations.
Older males fatalities and incidents occur largely when boating. It is more likely to be powered boating than sail, oar or paddlecraft. The people involved are more likely to be NZ European and live in the upper North Island.
In the majority of boating fatalities, the boat sank or capsized, or the person fell overboard and could not get back on board. Many incidents were also the person involuntarily entering the water but also included injuries on board the boat
It is not particularly an alcohol problem, it is a lifejacket problem. Seventy-seven per cent of 55+ boating fatalities were not wearing a lifejacket correctly.
Source, Water Safety NZ
