What Kiwis tell us about water safety

The National Coastal and Water Safety Survey helps us better understand how New Zealanders interact with open water – whether at the beach, lake, or river.

The online survey gathers insights from more than 1,000 people aged 16 and over, exploring their abilities, behaviours, and attitudes around coastal and open-water safety.

The survey measures:

Confidence and competence in swimming and floating‍
Awareness of hazards and risks in open water
Perceptions of personal safety and decision-making

By identifying gaps in knowledge, skills, and behaviour, this research supports more effective, data-driven efforts to reduce drowning and keep people safe in, on, and around the water.

Some key insights

Most New Zealand adults do not consider themselves competent in open water - 82% of New Zealanders!

Most New Zealanders can not identify a rip current, either in a photo or in a real life situation.

Less than 20% of people consider themselves competent – and more than half of New Zealanders are unable to swim or weak at swimming in open water.

A quarter of New Zealanders surveyed consider themselves unable to float or weak at floating.

Our connection to the coast

New Zealanders have a deep and lasting connection with the coast. Around 3.1 million adults visit coastal areas every year — a number that’s remained steady over the past decade.

In 2023–24, New Zealanders engagement with the coast, with the average number of visits rising to 3.8 per person per month, up from 3.4 in previous years. This suggests a renewed post-pandemic enthusiasm for our coastal environment.

Do we recognise the risks?

Despite high participation, many New Zealanders underestimate coastal risks. But perception is slowing changing.

These figures show an ongoing perception gap that could put lives at risk.

Competency vs risk-taking

In 2024, some Kiwis continue to overestimate their ability:
‍
55% feel confident taking risks when swimming.

12%

Can't swim at all

24%

Swim less than 25m

26%

Swim 25 to 100m

13%

Swim 101 to 200m

16%

Swim more than 200m

Aren't sure

Rip currents: knowledge gaps

Despite being a major cause of drownings, rip currents are poorly understood. In 2024:‍

‍79% believe rips are very or extremely dangerous (up from 75% in 2023)
‍50% are very concerned about being caught in one‍
43% say they can identify a rip
→ But only 57% of those confident actually got it right

Age matters. Older adults are better at identifying rips than young adults and teens. ‍

57% of people aged 50–69 and 70+ correctly identified rips
Just 32% of 16–24-year-olds could do the same

Over the past decade, only 20–40% of New Zealanders could correctly identify rip currents.

How we compare to Australia

New Zealand’s coastal drowning rate per capita is consistently higher than Australia’s.

2020

NZ had a 70% higher beach and coastal drowning rate per capita

2022

NZ’s fatal drowning rate was 46% higher

2024

NZ's rate is 51% higher than Australia's

Alcohol and aquatic activities

New Zealanders increasingly agree that alcohol and water don’t mix — but risky behaviour persists:

More confident after facing danger

Many New Zealanders have faced danger in the water — and come out feeling more confident, not less.

2024 highlights

1 in 3 adults (32%) have experienced difficulty in the water
Of those, 58% still feel confident enough to take risks
12% have rescued someone
8% have been rescued themselves

2022 comparison

32% also reported water difficulty
But even more – 61% – felt experienced enough to take risks
15% had rescued someone
11% had been rescued

Even after a near-miss or rescue, people often feel more confident in the water, suggesting that lived experience doesn’t always translate into caution

What this means

New Zealanders love the coast — but many don’t always recognise the risks.

Many New Zealanders overestimate their swimming ability

Rip current knowledge is low among younger adults

Alcohol use near water remains a safety concern

We need to bridge the gap between perception and real risk

Let’s empower communities with knowledge, skills, and respect for the water.

Data and insights come from the National Coastal and Water Safety Survey, carried out by Water Safety NZ and Surf Life Saving New Zealand, and funded by NZ Search and Rescue. The annual survey explored people’s abilities, behaviours, and attitudes around water safety, and helps shape data-driven efforts to prevent drownings and improve public safety.

To strengthen future work, Water Safety NZ is developing new approaches to deepen our understanding of how people engage with water and how and why they make decisions. These insights will help guide strategies that continue to reduce drowning and improve water safety for communities across Aotearoa.