The country's lead drowning prevention agency is set to lose more than a million dollars in annual government funding. Photo: RNZ / Rebekah Parsons-King
The country's lead drowning prevention agency is set to lose more than a million dollars in annual government funding.
The Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) will stop its $1.1 million per annum contribution to Water Safety New Zealand from 2026.
Water Safety said the partnership had helped reduce New Zealanders' risk of drowning by 25 percent since it began in 2005.
General manager partnerships and funding, Gavin Walker, acknowledged the financial pressures many agencies were facing, but said the investment delivered "an exceptional return for New Zealand".
"We know New Zealanders are facing a cost-of-living crisis, and we know ACC have many programmes to fund and are required to reduce their expenses. However, $1.1m is a drop in the ocean for government funding and we are very sorry to see the end of this partnership," he said.
"For a small organisation like ours, $1.1 million a year is a big deal. It funds the data, insights, education, and community programmes that feed into schools, community initiatives, and even into the rescue services we work alongside. Ultimately, it ensures our viability.
"Our hard-won gains in reducing drowning risk cannot be taken for granted - there are major gaps yet to fill."
Thousands of children and families had learned vital water survival skills through Water Safety programmes, Walker said, noting drowning was the leading cause of recreational death in New Zealand.
Water Safety also receives funding from the Lottery Grants Board and Sport NZ, but Walker said ACC's contribution was critical to sustain its work with community programmes.
He called on ministers to ensure prevention work could continue through alternative funding mechanisms, asking who would take responsibility for preventing the deaths of an average of 85 New Zealanders every year if drowning prevention was outside of ACC's remit.
"Long-term behaviour change requires long-term, sustained investment," Walker said.
"We hope the government will continue to recognise the value of water safety education and identify an alternative funding pathway to ensure this critical work continues - because it saves lives."
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