The 2020 Drowning Report is now published on our website. Click here for the full report. It relies on information from 276 drowning incidents (74 preventable fatalities and 202 non fatal, hospitalisations) gathered from coronial findings, police and DHB incident reports.

2020 saw a decrease of eight, or 9.7 percent, compared to the 82 preventable drowning fatalities in 2019 with zero preventable drowning fatalities in the months of April and September (Level 4 lockdown nationally, and Level 3 Auckland/Level 2 other regions, respectively). 

On a per capita basis, the preventable fatal drowning rate is represented as 1.62 per 100,000 people. This rate has been steady for the past five years.

The hospitalisation number 202, in 2020 was the same as in 2019. Just over half of all hospitalisations involve young people under 24 years of age (107).

On a per capita basis, the hospitalisation drowning rate is represented as 3.77 per 100,000 people in New Zealand. This rate has been steady for the past five years.