The resources available through this website have been refreshed and/or developed for kaupapa Māori water safety education, managed by Water Safety New Zealand and supported by the Ministry of Education. In addition, mainstream water safety programmes and initiatives, developed by the water safety sector, can also be accessed here.
Only 27 percent of New Zealand schools* provide a minimum acceptable combination of eight or more water-based lessons of 26–30 minutes’ duration per year. The minimum should in fact be 10 lessons of at least 30 minutes.
Faced with the reality that more children are leaving school without the necessary water safety skills, should we accept that more New Zealanders will drown, or address the issue, starting in primary schools?
Water Skills for Life launched in 2016
Traditionally children may learn-to-swim, although even this skill is in decline. The assumption is that swimming skills are also survival skills, however this is far from true.
Water Skills for Life is made up of seven skill sets that contain 27 core skills, it establishes broad fundamental competencies for life-long water safety.
It gives children the skills and knowledge they need to assess risk and make smart decisions around water so they can stay out of trouble and survive should they get into trouble.
Children are taught Water Skills for Life at their school, either by their school teacher or by a swim teacher at a community pool. Schools can decide how they teach their students Water Skills for Life.
It is easier to teach than technical swimming and fun to learn.
Swimming New Zealand work with swim teachers and schools to help them deliver authentic water skills learning experiences for students across a wide and diverse range of abilities, ages and cultures.
Water Skills For Life is partners with Swimming New Zealand and other providers, to deliver the programme, with funding support from the New Zealand Lottery Grants Board and ACC.
*2017 study OF aquatic education in our schools, by the New Zealand Council for Education Research, commissioned by Water Safety New Zealand.
