Clutha River drowning: Warnings after third drowning in the South in two weeks

A man who drowned in the Clutha River leaving behind a wife and a 10-month-old son has been described as humble, kind and generous.

It is the third water death in the South Island in the past two weeks.

Soala Matavao Leilani, of Samoa, said her family was still coping with the loss of her brother, Vito Matavao Leilani.

The news of his death on Thursday had been a shock and he was loved by many, she said.

Leilani was a kind, generous and humble man who always made time for his family and friends.

He had lived in Balclutha for the last four years, with his wife and their 10-month-old son, his sister said.

A police spokeswoman said emergency services were called to reports of a man missing in the Koau branch of the Clutha River about 5.30pm on Thursday.

Balclutha resident Vito Matavao Leilani, who drowned in the Clutha River on Thursday. Photo / Supplied

A body was subsequently retrieved from the water, the spokeswoman said.

At the scene, firefighters and St John staff also assisted and more than a dozen people could be seen working on the river’s edge.

Leilani’s death follows the deaths of two men at the same spot in Glenorchy, near the mouth of the Rees River.

On January 13, Leeroy Kaaho (48), of Wanaka, drowned after attempting to rescue his 10-year-old son, who was pulled to safety by a member of the public.

On January 19, Jonathan Jordan Young (35), of New South Wales, drowned after going to help a young boy in trouble.

All three deaths will be referred to the coroner.

Water Safety New Zealand chief executive Daniel Gerrard said there had been 38 water deaths so far this summer, compared with 47 for the whole of the season last year.

Emergency services at the scene on the shore of Lake Wakatipu in Glenorchy. Photo / Rhyva van Onselen

After swimming pools had to be fenced from 1987, annual drowning numbers fell from about 130 to about 80.

“We’re starting to see that trend head in the wrong direction ... I’m devastated by it,” Gerrard said.

There was a need to not only teach people water skills such as how to swim, but to better teach people how to navigate rivers, lakes and beaches in a safe and controlled way, Gerrard said.

JC Swim School owner Jill Clarke said she had been teaching swimming for 40 years, and things were much better than when she had started.

Otago schools were good at teaching their pupils to swim, but opportunities were not the same across the country.

She agreed there needed to be a stronger focus on teaching in water or marine environments where people tended to swim.

However, the logistics made it cost-prohibitive for many schools.

Likewise, many parents tended to find the cost of swimming lessons prohibitive.

Children varied in time taken to learn to swim, which sometimes caused parents to remove them from classes because they did not believe they were making progress, she said.

• Additional reporting Nick Brook