Beside the seaside – safely

With summer almost upon us, the Tāmaki Makaurau Ethnic Services team (TMEST) joined with partner agencies to lead a water safety event at Piha.

With the support of Auckland Council, Drowning Prevention Auckland, NZ Fisheries and Surf Life Saving, TMEST provided an educational and interactive day for ethnic community leaders.

Last year, 74 people lost their lives in the waters around New Zealand. In Auckland, 39 percent of the people who died in water incidents were from ethnic communities.

“This shows the importance of safety messaging required for our ethnic communities,” says acting Inspector Andrew Lui, acting Ethnic Responsiveness Manager.

Participants were instructed on the importance of life jackets and got to try one on. Safety while rock fishing – a popular activity with members of ethnic communities - was covered. 

There was also a beach rescue demonstration from the Surf Life Saving team to give participants a real appreciation of the serious business of keeping people safe around water.

 
A grand day out that might save lives - participants in the water safety programme on Piha beach. 

The event on 22 November was organised through the TMEST Social Cohesion Forum, which aims to share prevention messages relating to ethnic communities in Tāmaki Makaurau.

The forum is a platform where ethnic community leaders are exposed to service providers and government agencies so they can empower their communities with updated and relevant information.

“The feedback from our ethnic community leaders was very positive,” says Andrew. “They felt it was very informative and much needed.”