John MacDonald: If ACC pulls the water safety funding, who gets harmed?

Can you believe the bean counters at ACC are taking the knife to its funding for Water Safety NZ?  

Their reasoning is that they’ve poured all this money into Water Safety NZ but they’re not seeing a return on that investment. Which would be a reduction in drowning-related claims.  

But I’m with Water Safety NZ, which is saying today that good progress has been made, and this funding cut will put everything at risk and make a hard job even harder with $1 million less to do its work.  

Gavin Walker is its head of partnerships and funding, and he says there have been 54 drownings so far this year – five fewer than the 10-year average.  

Which, apparently, is not good enough for ACC.   

But it can quibble as much as it likes about the numbers and the return on investment and all of that, but the fact is water is a huge risk to people’s lives. To every one of us.  

This claim by ACC that it’s cutting the water safety funding because it’s not getting the return on its investment doesn’t stack up when you consider some of the other things it puts money into.  

ACC also part-funded the doomed “Road to Zero” road safety campaign which, I think we can agree, was hardly a glowing success. I don’t recall ACC pulling the plug on that one.  

But its deputy chief executive of engagement and prevention, Renee Graham, is defending the decision, saying they’ve been putting $1 million a year into Water Safety NZ but drowning-related claims are costing it $3 million a year.  

My response to that: so what?  

The thing about water is that it’s accessible to anyone and everyone – you don’t need a swimming licence. Which means people can be clueless when it comes to throwing themselves into the water and not always thinking whether they might be overestimating their abilities. 

I’m probably at the other end of the spectrum because water terrifies me. Even though I’ve sailed for years —and even though our kids have grown up around water— the potential for things to go drastically wrong in water terrifies me.  

I suppose “respectful” might be a better word to use than “terrified”, but even though I love getting out on the water, I know it will never be my friend. 

That was something I always said to the kids when they were young. Water can be fun, but it’s not your friend.  

Which is why I was determined, from the get-go, that they were going to have swimming lessons – but that costs money.   

We were very fortunate that we could afford it. But, if we’d been in a different financial position, then perhaps the swimming lessons would’ve been one of the first things to go.  

Which is what Gavin Walker from Water Safety NZ is saying today.  

He’s saying: “There’s a whole lot of kids who are actually missing out on good quality water survival support”.  

Which is going to get worse with ACC pulling its funding. 

And that’s why ACC needs to have a hmmm moment of its own. 

“Hmmm…if we pull this funding, who gets harmed?”

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Kerry Wood and Morning's podcast from
News Talks head B.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
Can you believe the bean counters at ACC are taking
the knife to the funding for Water Safety New Zealand. Now,
the reasoning is that ACC has poured all this money
into water Safety New Zealand, but it's not seeing an
adequate return on the investment. And a return, as far
as ACC is concerned, is a reduction in drowning related claims.

(00:35):
But I'll tell you what. I'm with Water Safety New Zealand,
which are saying today that they've been making good progress
and that this funding cut will put everything at risk
and make a hard job even harder. I'm with them
because this is what's happening. Come next year, early next year,
water Safety New Zealand will have a million dollars less

(00:56):
to do its work. Now. Gavin Walker, he's Water Safety's
head of Partnerships and Funding, and he says there have
been fifty four drownings so far this year. I mean
fifty four to two many nevertheless five fewer than the
ten year average. Apparently, though that's not good enough for ACC.
But I'll tell you what, it can quibble as much

(01:18):
as it likes about the numbers and the return on
investment and all of that, But the fact is water
is a huge risk to people's lives, to every one
of us. The thing is too this claim by ACC
that it's cutting the water safety funding because it's not
getting the return on its investment. That doesn't stack up
for me anyway. It doesn't stack up when you consider

(01:40):
some of the other things it puts money into, such
as well. ACC also part funded the Doomed Road to
Zero road safety campaign, which I think we can agree
was hardly a glowing success. Not sure if ACC got
much of a return on that investment, but I don't
recall them pulling the plug on that one. But it's

(02:01):
Deputy Chief Executive of Engagement and Prevention Renee Graham. She
is defending the decision as she would saying they've been
putting in a million dollars a year and water saved
in New Zealand, but drowning related claims are costing them
three million a year. And my response to that, so
what the thing about water is that it's accessible to

(02:23):
anyone and everyone. You don't need a you don't need
a you don't need a swimming license.

Speaker 1 (02:27):
Do you.

Speaker 2 (02:29):
Which means people can be clueless when it comes to
throwing themselves into the water, and then they don't always
think whether they might be overestimating their abilities. I'm probably
at the other end of the extreme, actually, because water
terrifies me. Even though I've sailed for years, and even
though our kids have all grown up around water desmode

(02:49):
all that the potential for things to go drastically wrong
and water terrifies me. I'd like to think that I'm
terrified in a positive way, I suppose. I suppose respectful
might be a better word to use than terrified. But
even though even though I love getting out of the water,
I know that it will never be my friend. And
that was something I always said to the kids when

(03:11):
they were younger. Yep, it can be fun, but it's
not your friend. It's not your mate, which is why
I was determined from the get go that they were
going to have swimming lessons. But that costs money, eh.
I can't remember how much we paid for it over
the years for the swimming lessons when they were young,
but I know that we were very fortunate that we
could afford it. I also know, though, if we'd been

(03:33):
in a different financial position, then perhaps the swimming lessons
would have been one of the first things to go,
which is exactly what Gavin Walker from Water Safety New
Zealand the same today. He's saying a quotam. He says
there's a whole lot of kids who are actually missing
out on good quality water survival support and he says
it's just going to get worse with ACC pulling its funding,

(03:55):
and that's why ACC needs to take a bit of
its own medicine and needs to have a hmm moment
of its own hmm. If we pull this funding, who
gets harmed? But how do you feel about it? How
would you rate our approach to water safety in this

(04:16):
country and do you think ACC should be investing more
in water safety not less.

Speaker 1 (04:25):
For more from carry Wood and Mornings, listen live to
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the podcast on iHeartRadio.