The $1 million-plus, three-year Skills 2 Swim programme is in response to the deteriorating level of New Zealand children's swimming skills as revealed in a recent survey, Sport Otago chief executive John Brimble says.
‘‘This is being driven by a concern [that] we have one or two generations of children who do not have the fundamental skills,'' Mr Brimble said.
‘‘We have a potential epidemic of water-related fatalities if we don't start addressing this issue.''
Skills 2 Swim will fund 10 lessons per year of expert instruction for every child aged nine to 11 enrolled in a Dunedin school.
Water confidence, water skills and swim techniques will be progressively taught with the aim of ensuring that by the age of 12 each child can swim 200m - a distance regarded as basic to survival in the water.
A recent Water Safety New Zealand (WSNZ) survey revealed one in five year 6 pupils (roughly, 11-yearolds) could cover 200m.
Only half could manage 25m and a quarter could not complete 25m or even tread water.
The study prompted WSNZ general manager Matt Claridge to sound a warning.
‘‘When the findings of the research are matched with increases in population and increasing participation in water-based activities, we believe the drowning toll will exceed 150 deaths per annum within the next 12 years and then up to 180 beyond 2030.''
There were 96 drowning deaths in New Zealand in 2008. There were 26 drowning deaths in Otago in the past five years.
Mr Claridge praised the Skills 2 Swim programme. ‘‘It is a fantastic initiative,'' Wellington-based Mr Claridge said. ‘‘It is not happening anywhere else around the country.
‘‘We will be trying to replicate it at a national level.''
The DCC and sport-funding body Sparc would each provide about onethird of the funding during the first three years, with the remainder coming from a variety of sources ‘‘which are likely to include Swimming New Zealand and Water Safety New Zealand'', Mr Brimble said.
Instruction material is being provided by Swimming New Zealand.
Surf Life Saving New Zealand will provide its in-school beach education as part of the programme.
A performance measurement tool to chart the progress of each child is being developed in conjunction with the University of Otago.
‘‘We believe this is the first time in New Zealand that such a benchmark will be created.''
Skills 2 Swim was not in competition with learn-to-swim programmes, Mr Brimble said.
‘‘It will complement them and hopefully lead to greater numbers of children in learn-to-swim programmes.''
Sport Otago was still finalising the appointment of a Skills 2 Swim coordinator.
The programme is expected to be launched in schools next month, starting with schools that have pools or have an existing swimming programme.
All Dunedin schools teaching 9 to 11-year-olds would be incorporated in the programme by the end of the year, Mr Brimble said.
Dunedin primary school principals have welcomed the initiative, which has been developed during the past 12 months.
Otago Primary Principals Association president and Green Island School principal Steve Hayward said it would ‘‘make a huge difference''.
Government pool management requirements, the cost of maintaining school pools and other demands on teachers' time had made swimming programmes ‘‘easy to drop'', Mr Hayward said.
But the ability to swim was ‘‘a really important skill that could save lives'', he said.
Children's water skill levels ‘‘absolutely need to increase'', Tahuna Intermediate School's new principal Tony Hunter said.
‘‘Schools will be able to use the funding to support their swimming programmes with professional instruction,'' Mr Hunter said.
Andersons Bay School principal Dave McWhinnie applauded the programme's aim to ‘‘carefully monitor'' the progress of each child.
‘‘We are waiting in eager anticipation for the launch,'' Mr McWhinnie said.
DCC general manager community life Graeme Hall could not be contacted for comment.
