In the past decade there have been 31 deaths associated with bar crossings. Of those, a high percentage were from one of New Zealand’s many ethnic communities, including Chinese, Cook Island Māori, Thai, and Tongan, said coastguard bar safety programme lead Simon Marshall.
He said to ensure the seminars are accessible for everyone, educational videos have been released with translated subtitles for seven languages: te reo Māori, Chinese, Samoan, Tongan, Cook Island Māori, Fijian, and Thai.
“We want our videos to be accessible to a wide range of New Zealanders, especially for some of whom English is a second language. Of course, we still encourage them to attend a seminar in their region to get the most up-to-date information on their local bar.”
New Zealand Sport Fishing Council communications and operations lead Mike Plant said the council is invested in making sure people make it home safely after a day on the water.
“That’s why we have teamed up with the coastguard to roll out this programme. Even the fish of a lifetime is not worth losing your life over.”
The details:
What: Bar Crossing Seminar - Whanganui
When: Sunday, September 22, 1.30pm-3.30pm
Where: Whanganui-Manawatū Sea Fishing Club, 1A Wharf Street, Castlecliff
Register: Visit humanitix.com and search ‘coastguard’