• infants mostly drown in buckets and baths
• pre-schoolers mostly drown in home pools
• adolescents mostly drown in natural bodies of water, such as rivers and the sea (see Reference 1 below)

Key messages about water safety

• never leave children, especially those under five years of age, unsupervised near water, including baths, buckets and water troughs
• all children under the age of three years should be constantly supervised in the bath by an adult - if you leave the room, take the child with you
• bath aids or young siblings are not a replacement for adult supervision
• the safety and security of pool fences should be checked regularly, with special attention paid to the gate, which should open outwards and close automatically, with the catch fastening firmly
• check pool fences for gaps to crawl under, or for loose bars or planks
• never prop open a pool gate or have anything nearby that might block the catch (such as clothes or towels)
• never leave chairs or toys so that children can use them to climb over a pool fence
• if fences are modified or houses redesigned, always check the pool fence still functions to keep children safe
• be especially careful with children if you are visiting someone with a pool. If you are in a group, always make sure it is clear who has the job of watching the children; otherwise everyone may assume someone else is watching them

 Back to Top

Where to go for more information

PoolSafe

ACC PoolSafe is a Water Safety New Zealand programme

incorporating a range of initiatives aimed at reducing the number of

water related injuries in and around New Zealand pools. See the section about how to make home pools safe, including fencing requirements.

Website: http://www.poolsafe.co.nz/home/

 

Safekids

Safekids offers a number of services and programmes designed to contribute to the reduction of child injury. The Safekids website provides access to the following:

• Keep your kids safe when in, on and around water. This poster is available in English (click on the image to the right) or Maori
• other water safety fact sheets, position papers, resources and media releases, including the Safekids position statement on swimming pool fencing (April 2010)

Address: Fifth Floor, Cornwall Complex, Building 15, 40 Claude Road, Epsom, Auckland
Postal address: PO Box 26 488, Epsom, Auckland
Phone: 64 9 630 9955
Fax: 64 9 630 9961
Email: infocentre@safekids.org.nz (To access data and materials from the Safekids National Information & Resource Centre)
Website: http://www.safekids.org.nz/

 

Surf Life Saving New Zealand

The Surf Life Saving website provides an education section, which includes:

• Beach education
• Fact sheets
• School resources

Website: http://www.surflifesaving.org.nz/

 

Water Safety New Zealand
The Water Safety New Zealand website provides a range of information and resources for keeping kids safe in and around water. See:

• Water safety for under fives
• Learn to swim advice
• Resources for Maori
• Water familiarisation for infants and toddlers
• Water confidence for pre-schoolers
• Learn to swim for primary school age onwards
• Swim for Life
• WaterWise - a series of learning programmes for primary students

Water Safety New Zealand have analysed DrownBase™ data to produce a range of fact sheets. The data represents fatal drownings in New Zealand from 2005–2009. (The information in these fact sheets is provisional as at 16 May 2010 and is subject to change). See:

• Drowning fact sheet: Age group 5-14 years 
• Drowning fact sheet: Age group 0-4 years

Address: Level 3, Booth House, 202-206 Cuba St., Wellington
Postal address: PO Box 10 126, Wellington

Phone: 64 4 801 9600

Fax: 64 4 801 9599

Email: wsnz@watersafety.org.nz

Website: http://www.watersafety.org.nz/

 

 Back to Top

---

References

1. Child and Youth Mortality Review Committee, Te Rōpū Arotake Auau Mate o te Hunga Tamariki, Taiohi. 2009. Fifth Report to the Minister of Health: Reporting mortality 2002–2008. Wellington: Child and Youth Mortality Review Committee. 
   http://www.cymrc.health.govt.nz/moh.nsf/pagescm/7657/$File/cymrc-fifth-ministres-report-02-08.pdf [Accessed 12/10/2007]
   
   
2. Water Safety New Zealand. 2009. Provisional drowning report. 
   http://www.watersafety.org.nz/assets/pdfs/Drowning-Report-2009.pdf [Accessed 8/10/2010].

 

 Back to Top

---

Your notes

Print this page

Endorsement

This fact sheet was endorsed by PSNZ - 12/10/2010

Copyright

Fact sheets are subject to copyright. In the interests of information sharing they may be copied but acknowledgement must be given to PSNZ and Starship Foundation.
© The Paediatric Society of New Zealand and Starship Foundation 2005 - 2012

The Paediatric Society of New Zealand http://www.paediatrics.org.nz

Starship Foundation http://www.starship.org.nz