Learn-to-swim worry

A decline in school-based swimming activities has led to an alarming fall in children's water safety skills, campaigners warned yesterday.

Water Safety NZ general manager Matt Claridge said changes to the school curriculum and funding cuts had "resulted in a decrease in the quality of traditional school-based learn to swim ... Subsequently the swimming ability of our youth is falling to alarming levels. The flow-on effect is an increased emphasis on private tuition."

He said Maori and Pacific Islanders were over-represented in drowning statistics yet were only a small percentage of the private learn-to-swim market.

Socio-economic issues were the likely reason but this showed why the school-based system was best because it provided training for all.

- AGENCIES