IN S IG H TS R E PO R T # 39 – Decem ber 20 2 3
Water safety As people of Moana Pacifica we are closely connected with water: moana, awa and roto. We need the right knowledge, skills and attitudes to engage with water in a safe and meaningful way, and in ways that suit us. Context We have to respect water, and have the knowledge to know what to do and the skills to act safely in and around water. People engage with water in all kinds of ways but some lose their lives in the process – and in most cases this loss of life is preventable. The drowning statistics show: •
Many more males than females
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Older males using power boats
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Young people in river incidents during the summer – in part because they don’t see the rivers as hazardous
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Māori men gathering kai either free diving or snorkelling
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Asian men without swimming skills, who are fishing in groups from the beach or rocks.
Activities people are engaging in with high drowning numbers include: • •
Food gathering, diving, netting, fishing, boating, river swimming, rock fishing Physical contexts where drowning occurs include moana, awa and roto.
Figure 1: Young men diving into a water hole, Charlie’s Rock, Kerikeri
Why? Different approaches to water safety, previous experiences, cultural influences, whanau and family attitudes can all influence how people will interact with water of all kinds.
Water safety approaches Tangaroa Ara Rau “Tangaroa does not discriminate”
Tangaroa Ara Rau is a nation-wide collective of Māori water safety experts interested in strengthening connections to the water for wellness. They are ‘passionate about kaupapa wai and connecting whānau to the water’. They have many years of experience in kaupapa Māori research, training and education in water safety, swimming, waka, surfing, freediving, ocean diving, ruku kai, mahinga kai and other water related activities. Information is shared via their website and Facebook. One of the team, Dr Chanel Phillips (Ngāti Hine, Ngāpuhi), developed a pioneering Māori water safety framework, Wai Puna1, 2 (wellspring of water and knowledge), which provides a holistic connection to water.
To listen to Dr Phillips on Wai Puna, click here Learning programmes for tamariki based on these concepts are available on the Water Safety NZ website. See Water Skills for Life.
1
Ko te wai te ora ngā mea katoa.
NZRA Insights Report – Fight, Flight or Freeze in
Water is the life giver of all things.