But as many take today off to make a four-day Waitangi weekend and visit holiday spots, the organisation is urging people not to be complacent.
ACC injury prevention leader James Whitaker said it was a great chance to make the most of another break by getting stuck into favourite outdoor activities.
And there were some "positive signs" that New Zealanders were being more mindful about the risks of injury when participating in those activities.
The latest ACC data showed the numbers of new claims for injuries were lower for the four sports of mountainbiking, cycling, surfing and swimming, compared with the past five summers.
"There is a focus on road cycling, mountainbiking, swimming and surfing because these activities lead to major spikes in injuries each summer," Mr Whitaker said.
In Otago, between December 1 and February 2, there was a decrease in injury claims for all four activities compared with the same time last summer — cycling (718 claims compared with 856), mountainbiking (187 compared with 217), surfing (47 compared with 98) and swimming (87 compared with 104).
In Southland, there were fewer claims for injuries from cycling (89 compared with 106), surfing (10 compared with 16) and swimming (17 compared with 26), but mountainbiking injuries were up slightly (13 compared with 11).
Nationwide, the trend was the same: road cycling (4743 claims compared with 5953), mountainbiking (770 compared with 982), surfing (971 compared with 1728) and swimming (1872 claims compared with 2764).
Mr Whitaker said the total cost to help people recover from those injuries so far this summer was $2.7 million.
At the same time last summer, it was $15.7m.
He noted there could be a lag between the date of injury and when a claim was lodged, meaning claim numbers and costs might increase.
"But things are looking promising," he said.
Alongside the ACC summer claims data, there had been fewer preventable drownings reported by Water Safety New Zealand (12 in 2025, compared with 14 this time last year; 72 in 2024 compared with 90 in 2023).
"It is early days, but it looks like more people have been able to stay injury free while they’re having fun outdoors.
"It shows that New Zealanders are potentially being more mindful of the risk of injury.
"They are taking that moment to consider the risk of injury before the activity they are about to do," Mr Whitaker said.
"That is great news as it means they can continue to do what they love for longer and enjoy the summer months across Aotearoa."
He encouraged everyone getting away this weekend to continue the positive trend.
