The CHB Swim 4 Lives group is committed to providing support and assistance to improve the swimming ability of all Central Hawke's Bay children by reducing the barriers for schools to access and participate in Deep Water Safety Training
Research shows 80% of Kiwi kids cannot swim well enough to save themselves and in 2014 it was reported that there were 71 preventable drownings in NZ. It is so important that all children in New Zealand learn swimming and water safety as core life skills.
While most CHB Schools do have their own swimming pools in which they conduct their swimming programs, these are shallow which means that schools must travel to either the Waipawa Pool or Centralines Sports Complex to participate in Deep Water training. This is extremely costly and time consuming for schools, with reduced Swim NZ funding some previously choosing to forego the deepwater session as a result.
To address these barriers the CHB Swim 4 Lives group continues to work to secure funding to cover the transport costs for all CHB Schools (approx 27 round trips to date) and has supported partners Aqua Management and Swimming NZ in developing a comprehensive and time efficient session plan for CHB schools incorporating swimming education, dry-land classroom activities, education on life jackets, safe boating tips and more (with over 500 children attending over the last 4 years). In addition to this the group has also funded Learn to Swim classes for children needing additional support, leading to over 150 children now having received lessons to help increase their confidence and ability in the water.