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New research by Water Safety New Zealand (WSNZ) shows that its Swim Reaper water safety campaign appears to be changing attitudes and behaviour.

First launched over the summer of 2016/17, the campaign is designed to target young males aged between 15 to 34 - who make up a third of New Zealand’s annual drowning toll.

With the campaign aiming to stop young males making unwise decisions and engaging in risky behaviour around water, it has achieved 350,000 followers on instagram and multiple awards for social media effectiveness.

WSNZ’s third annual public attitudes and behaviour survey shows a significant decrease in people getting into trouble in the water due to alcohol, showing off or peer group pressure - these are exactly the types of behaviour the Swim Reaper was designed to reduce.

WSNZ Chief Executive Jonty Mills “this is very pleasing.

“The Swim Reaper has been an incredible success in terms of reaching a young audience and we hope the end result will be behaviour change and better appreciation of the importance of water safety.”

The survey also reveals people are increasingly aware of the safety precautions they need to undertake to stay out of trouble in the water:

50% of respondents who went swimming at a patrolled beach always swim between the flags (up 10% since 2016)
30% of respondents always check the weather report before swimming at an unpatrolled beach (up 10% since 2016)
39% of respondents who went surfing, boogie boarding, or wind surfing at least sometimes wear a lifejacket (an increase of 16% since 2016)
People going surfing boogie boarding or windsurfing are also less likely to go out by themselves. 

35% of respondents stated they experienced a serious situation in the water. When asked what they thought were the main factors that caused the problem, underestimating the conditions and lack of knowledge about the environment ranked highest.

Mills added “this reflects what we see happening in preventable drowning incidents, underestimating the risk and overestimating ability. The Swim Reaper campaign is about showing what could happen if you engage in risky behaviour around water. This research is encouraging in that it shows the message appears to be getting through.”

Image shows the Swim Reaper.

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25th September 2015 - Collaborative plan to address New Zealand’s high drowning toll

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21st July 2008 - Water Safety New Zealand asks if Water Safety is still a Priority?

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