Northland school kids learning survival skills against deadly accidental injuries

The ASB St John in Schools programme Make it Safe May was rolled out to 10,271 students nationwide - including more than 600 Northland pupils. Photo / Supplied

More than 600 Northland school kids have learned how to stay safe from unintentional injuries - the third-leading cause of death in young Kiwis.

A mix of eight primary and intermediate schools in the region – as far north as Awanui School in Kaitaia to as south as Waipū School in Bream Bay – gathered the skills in the ASB St John in Schools programme Make it Safe May, in partnership with ACC.

They were among 10,271 students nationally learning how to prevent the four leading causes of child hospital admissions– burns, poison, falls and slips, and drowning.

St John data revealed nationwide more than three children under 14 were admitted to hospital each day for falls, more than five kids for burns, and about four children with poisoning. Home drownings killed about three children every year.

St John head of community education Jacci Tatnell said providing tamariki with the skills to spot hazards and eliminate them would make homes and playgrounds safer.

"We continue to see far too many preventable incidents involving children and we know these situations can have a significant impact on them and their families.

ACC head of injury prevention Isaac Carlson said it was important to educate young people about injury risk and management.

"Having the ability to understand genuine harm potential and how to make good decisions to manage this, is an essential life skill – not only for themselves, but for their whānau and community."

In conjunction with Make it Safe May, St John and ACC offer a free interactive online activity called SafetyChamp to teach children how to make their home safe.

Primary and intermediate schools interested in booking the ASB St John in Schools programme should go to stjohn.org.nz/schools.