NZ saw lowest drowning death toll in six years in 2024 – Water Safety

Provisional figures show a significant reduction in the number of drownings last year.

Water Safety New Zealand said there were 71 preventable drownings, down from 90 the year before and well below the 10-year average of 83.

It said last year’s total was the lowest since 2018 and the third lowest in nearly two decades.

The holiday period just ended saw three drownings, down from an average of 10.

Chief executive Daniel Gerrard said focusing on water survival skills for young people seems to be paying off.

“It’s been over a decade now that there’s been a focus on basic aquatic skills, that ability to float.

“We’re just seeing the drowning rate drop in the school-age children, but also now a lagging drop in those 15- to 24-year-olds, so really positive in that regard.”

Gerrard said rivers and beaches are the most hazardous environments.

Gerrard said 83% of those who drowned in 2023 were men, and the figure shows little sign of improving.

“The over-55 male is the highest water user, those that are out there in the environment the most, so they’re putting themselves at risk.

“These older guys just need to stop and have a little bit more of a think and a bit more planning, and in particular wearing lifejackets.”

Gerrard said teaching basic skills such as floating is one way of preventing drowning.

Activities such as kai gathering, “taking a dip” or swimming, and slips and falls are still over-represented in the statistics, and Māori and Pasifika communities face persistent vulnerabilities, the report says.

The report shows:

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