An Auckland kura is leading a major water safety initiative after a near-fatal incident on the Waikato River.
In December 2023, Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Puau Te Moananui-ā-Kiwa took students and staff floating on the river using pool noodles and inflatable toys. Most participants were not wearing life jackets and encountered strong currents. WorkSafe described the incident as life-threatening, with the potential for multiple fatalities.
A WorkSafe investigation found that the school board had inadequate policies, planning, supervision, and emergency procedures, and should not have allowed the activity to proceed. The board was charged with failing to ensure the health and safety of workers and others during the river float, exposing them to risk of death or serious injury.
Tumuaki Debbie Cotterill said the Board of Trustees accepts responsibility and accountability for the events of 7 December 2023 during their river float haerenga on the Waikato River.
According to a New Zealand Herald article at the time, “a large group of school children, most of whom were allegedly not wearing life jackets, had to be rescued from the Waikato River after attempting a popular but often dangerous ‘river float’ through Taupō.” The article reported that the group of 14 students and adults became trapped in bushes on a bend in the river, while two kayakers from a guided tour also needed help after capsizing as they tried to avoid the stricken group.
Taupō police, the harbourmaster, St John Hato Hone, and others were called in to assist with the rescue, while Mercury Energy shut off the control gates at the outlet from Lake Taupō.
The board has since applied for an enforceable undertaking (EU), a legally binding agreement to fund and implement a range of health and safety initiatives, which WorkSafe has approved.
The EU includes:
- Developing a Te Ao Māori Education Outside the Classroom (EOTC) toolkit with Education Outdoors NZ, primarily for kura and bilingual for all schools.
- Partnering with Te Rūnanga Nui o Ngā Kura Kaupapa Māori and the Ministry of Education to distribute the toolkit.
- Professional development for staff and board members, including outdoor education training for the new principal.
- Training for staff and students in safe water activities and ongoing support for victims, including a return haerenga to the river.
WorkSafe spokesperson Anaru Pewhairangi said effective risk management is a non-negotiable part of outdoor education.“The toolkit will reach up to 72 kura and provide improved resources for all schools to manage EOTC risks,” he said.
Cotterill added that the kura will use this as an opportunity not just to respond, but to provide intense and robust training that will benefit their kura as well as other Kura Kaupapa and Kura Māori.“As kaitiaki of the kura, we acknowledge the seriousness of what has occurred, and the harm caused, not only to our tamariki, kaiako and kaimahi but also to whānau and the wider community.
“The Board is committed to learning from this incident and taking every step necessary to ensure our kura is a safe and nurturing environment for all, and to make sure it never happens again. We are committed to a restorative process with all the tauira and kaiako affected.”
