New Zealand's lifeguards are in line for a massive funding boost with new spending on water safety.
Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector Poto Williams says $63 million has been earmarked for water safety in this year's Budget, and more than $60 million of that is for Surf Life Saving and Coastguard rescue services.
She says we are a country of coastlines and need to keep people safe in the water.
"Because of our abundance of water, activities in, on and around the water are very much part of the Kiwi lifestyle. But these water-based activities also entail risk with drowning the leading cause of recreational death and the third highest cause of accidental death."
She said the new funding would "make sure these agencies can focus their energy and skills on reducing the drowning toll, rather than having to shore up their own short-term survival" through fundraising activities.
"It'll also help them with necessary equipment, facilities, and maintenance, as well as addressing the key challenges of service delivery, recruitment and retention of volunteers."
Warm waters and strong outgoing tides created the perfect storm for potential drownings this past summer, Surf Life Saving told Newshub in February.
In 2019 there were 82 preventable drownings, Water Safety NZ figures showed. Most were at beaches, followed by rivers.
