Person dies after being found unresponsive in water at Bland Bay, Northland

A person has died following a water-related incident in Bland Bay, Whangaruru (pictured).

A snorkeller has died after being found unresponsive in the water at a popular Northland bay.

Coastguard volunteers found the person in the water at Bland Bay, Whangaruru, at 12.45pm today.

Emergency services were contacted after the person failed to return to shore.

Police said the person died despite efforts to resuscitate them.

The death will be referred to the coroner.

Bland Bay, just over an hour’s drive north of Whangārei, is a popular spot for holidaymakers visiting the region’s east coast.

A rāhui has been placed on the bay until 12pm Thursday. Swimming and seafood gathering are banned.

The location is the second coastal hotspot in Northland to record a drowning during the Christmas/New Year holiday period.

Wellington mum Traci Te Paa, 37, died on Christmas Eve while reportedly trying to save her daughter and nephew from a rip at remote Far North beach Waimamaku.

Paa was brought to shore where CPR was performed, but she was unable to be revived.

Family and friends described her as a “hero”.

Traci Te Paa drowned after saving her daughter and nephew from a rip at Waimamaku Beach on Christmas Eve.

Earlier this month, Surf Life Saving New Zealand’s (SLSNZ) 2024 National Beach and Coastal Safety Report revealed Northland’s per-capita drowning rate of 2.93 per 100,000 people was considerably higher than the next region in the rankings, Marlborough, with 1.91 drownings per 100,000 people.

However, Northland’s rate was an improvement on last year, when the rate was 3.05 per 100,000 people.

Overall, 42 people drowned off New Zealand’s coastline between July 2023 and June 2024 – down from 46 the previous year.

According to the report, Auckland had the highest number of fatalities followed by Waikato, Northland, and Wellington.

SLSNZ national coastal safety manager Tom Kearney said the country’s annual drowning figures were not declining fast enough.

“We know about beach and coastal hazards, and the risky activities and situations. Now we all need to do everything we can to bring the numbers down.”

Rip currents were found to be the main hazard accounting for most rescues and 17% of the drownings at surf beaches in the last decade.

Kearney said most Kiwis knew rip currents were dangerous.

“48% of people are confident they can identify a rip current, but when tested using photographs, only a third of people can identify a rip current.

“The number is even [fewer] when people are tested on a beach in a real-life situation.”