The Star: January 24, 2019

The Star Latest Christchurch news at www.star.kiwi
Thursday January 24 2019 5
Concerns over cost of swimming lessons
•From page 1
“He loves it, which is really important.
Most of the kids love it.
And all of New Zealand is close
to water so it’s all about starting
to build that confidence early.”
Four-year-old Harry McGuire’s
mother Charlotte estimates she
spends about $500 per term on
her three children’s swimming
lessons.
While she was in a “fortunate”
situation where she could afford
the fees, she said not everyone
was so lucky.
“The fees are ridiculously high.
I still think there should be some
form of subsidy because with
three kids it gets really expensive,”
she said.
“But you’ve got to make it
work. It’s once a week and I only
work part-time, so we manage.”
She would prioritise lessons
over other extracurricular activities
if necessary because she felt
swimming was such a vital skill.
Water Safety New Zealand
chief executive Jonty Mills said it
was concerning to hear that cost
was a barrier for any child getting
lessons.
“Whether it be a parent paying
for private lessons or a school trying
to get students into the pool.
We are working with councils
and aquatic education providers
CONFIDENCE: Charlotte McGuire says taking her son
Harry, 4, for swimming lessons with teacher Angela Auld is
important.
PHOTO: MARTIN HUNTER
to find ways to make it more accessible,”
he said.
“This why a major focus for us
is getting our Water Skills for Life
initiative into every New Zealand
primary school. Water Skills
for Life is taught in school, is relatively
low cost, easy to teach and
fun to learn.”
City council head of recreation,
sports and events Nigel Cox
said New Zealand has one of
the worst drowning rates in the
developed world.
“We all need to be aware of the
risks around water and learn to
swim as a fundamental skill so
that we can safely enjoy a range
of situations,” Mr Cox said.
“Drowning remains the
third-highest cause of accidental
death in this country after road
FAST FACTS
•68 people drowned in
New Zealand last year.
•78 per cent were men.
•Beaches were the site of
18 deaths, rivers had 13,
pools had eight and inland
stillwater saw eight.
•There were four
preventable drownings
during the holiday period
from December 24 to
January 3.
accidents and fall.”
Nearly 90 per cent of respondents
cited water safety and
learning to survive as the most
important reasons for swimming
lessons.
The survey was sent to all
schools in Christchurch to give
out to caregivers. There were 324
responses.
The city council-run programmes
at Graham Condon,
Jellie Park, Pioneer and Taiora:
QEII Recreation and Sport Centres
range in price from about $10
or $26 for an individual lesson
per week.
The number of children enrolled
fluctuates between 4400
and 5000 pupils at any time, Mr
Cox said.
The city council also runs
Swimsafe through schools, which
delivers 103,000 lessons a year
and provides free swimming at
the recreation and sport centres
for pre-school children during
the school term.
Swimming instructor and Fit
and Abel manager Dan Abel
said there was no one solution to
build water confidence.
“Price is a barrier, but it’s location,
demand, time and price that
all come into play.”
Mr Abel said if parents can’t afford
swimming lessons, surf life
saving clubs could also help.
“Mum and dad also need to be
confident swimmers. Going out
and playing in the water, spending
time in the water can really help.”
Mr Abel said it was important
children spent time at beaches
and rivers to build confidence in
the natural environment.
“Beaches, rivers and estuaries
are the places drownings happen.
Kids need to learn how to swim
in those environments.”
Surf Life Saving New Zealand
southern regional manager Stu
Bryce said confidence in the
water was important to help any
potential rescue.
“From a surf lifesaving point
of view, it makes our lives a lot
easier when someone is confident
in the water.”
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