Students at five additional Western Bay primary schools will now be taught vital water safety skills thanks to a $20,000 grant from BayTrust.

The funding will allow Aquatic Survival Skills Trust to expand their programme aimed at Year 5 and 6 students to include schools that don’t have their own pool on site, by helping to pay for transport and entry to a community pool facility instead.

“With the funding from Bay Trust, we can reach a further five schools who could have potentially missed out on the programme, which is amazing for the children and teachers in our community,” explains Aquatic Survival Skills Trust manager Alison Wieringa.

Four of the newly-funded schools who will now receive lessons this term are Otamarakau School, Pukehina School, Suzanne Aubert Catholic School and Pahoia School.

The fifth has yet to be confirmed.

“Half our primary schools no longer have their own school pool. Bus costs to travel to a community pool and entry costs are an extra charge that many schools and their children are unable to afford.

“We’ve ended up with a big generation of adults now who haven’t had any water safety or water skills in their upbringing.

“And interestingly enough, a lot of our drownings are in that age group. It all comes back to what we’re taught as kids.”

Aquatic Survival Skills Trust was set up in 2022 to provide life-saving knowledge and practical skills so children can confidently stay safe in, on and around water.

The trust sends Educators into dozens of Western Bay schools to run a series of five interactive sessions alongside classroom teachers.

Students are taught about hypothermia, how to scull in the water, what everyday objects can help keep them afloat, and how to get in and out of water safely, among other important skills.

Last year, more than 6000 students and 230 teachers took part in the trust’s water survival programme.

“We train and upskill our Educators to deliver the programme as part of the school curriculum health programme. Each school is left with a resource kit for their ongoing teaching and class delivery, which extends the learning beyond the time the Aquatic Survival Skills Educators are with the classroom groups.”

Alison says the trust is extremely grateful for BayTrust’s support.

The grant will be used to pay for operational costs including Educator wages, resources, school resource kits, administration costs, pool entry fees, and transport costs to get school children to and from community pools.

“This funding will reduce barriers and support all children to access the aquatic survival skills programme, free of charge. Water safety is a basic survival skill for life that everyone should be entitled to learn. We’re delighted. The aim is to reach as many children as possible so BayTrust have come on at a perfect time to help support learning opportunities,” she says.

Founder and chair of the Aquatic Survival Skills Trust, Anne McLeod, says the programme is all about survival.

“We want to leave a legacy of water competency that will continue to protect and enrich the lives of our communities and children long into the future. This is more than a programme. It’s a commitment to transforming our community’s relationship with water, making it a source of joy and safety rather than risk.”

BayTrust CEO Alastair Rhodes says Bay of Plenty has one of the widest range of aquatic environments in the country, with large stretches of coastline and beaches, estuaries, rivers, lakes, waterfalls, and pools across our region.

“People swim in their local water spots where no lifeguards are on duty, where conditions change constantly, and no safety equipment is nearby.

“The primary school age group has been identified as the most influential age group to target for learning about key survival skills.

“Children who experience the Aquatic Survival Skills programme then become influencers around their family, whanau and friends to help make the best decisions around water. So we’re very pleased to be able to support the important work the trust is doing in this space.”