Water Safety

Boaties are being urged to check their vessels are in tip-top shape, after thousands of distress calls to the coastguard over the long weekend.

Maritime New Zealand is trialling a 'no excuses' policy for boaties speeding or not wearing lifejackets.

Housing New Zealand has been accused of being patronising after telling tenants they need approval to set up paddling pools.

A 13-year-old boy who drowned at Hunua Falls in Auckland has been described as a hard-working and well-liked student.

Although the number of drownings is lower than last year, the toll is still too high, Water Safety New Zealand says.

One man has died in what Hawke's Bay police say was a routine fishing trip gone tragically wrong.

A mother whose son died while diving says she goes through the grieving process each time she hears of another diver's death. Audio

New funding that makes it possible to offer free volunteer lifeguard training in the North Island's east will make a huge difference to beach safety, Surf Life Saving New Zealand says.

Children in the Hawke's Bay have spent the last five days jumping into the river, the pool and the ocean to learn about everything from life jackets to kaimoana. Audio

Years of campaigns are finally striking a chord with boaties, with the number wearing a lifejacket on the rise, water safety groups say.

A man who died at a secluded beach near Tolaga Bay was caught in a rip while free diving, police say.

Newly funded research will investigate the over-representation of Māori in national drowning statistics. Audio

Police are criticising the actions of an inexperienced boatie at the centre of a four-hour search in Northland.

The maritime industry has published new guidelines in an attempt to stop people using potentially unsafe lifejackets.

Beach patrols will need to be cut back if public funding keeps falling, Surf Life Saving New Zealand says.