Thursday, 28 January 2021, 12:57 pm
Despite being in lockdown for part of 2020 New Zealand’s provisional drowning toll is only just below the five year average.
The provisional preventable drowning toll for 2020 is 74 (the five year average 2015 -2019 is 81). Drowning is the leading cause of recreational death and the third highest cause of accidental death in New Zealand.
“Every one of these preventable fatalities leaves a family and a community devastated,” says spokesperson Sheridan Bruce.
The COVID-19 level 4 lockdown ran between March 25 and April 27 with boaties ordered out of the water until level 2 on May 13. In 2020 Boating/Paddling fatalities are down at 10 from 19 in 2019, noting however that there’s also been a large increase in water related recreational sales as New Zealanders flocked to the water and enjoyed domestic tourism.