Māori men have been disproportionately represented in drowning deaths from underwater activities, including scuba diving, free diving, and snorkelling, according to Water Safety New Zealand’s Drowning Prevention Report and ten-year fatality summaries.
For many tāne Māori, the relationship with the moana and Tangaroa is central to tikanga Māori and manaakitanga, the ability to host manuhiri at home and on the marae.
That sense of responsibility is putting some tāne Māori in unnecessary danger.
Matt Kiore, an experienced diver and manager at the Centre of Māori suicide prevention Te Rau Ora, says the statistics reflect cultural expectations around providing food for whānau and community. Based in Ōtepoti, Kiore regularly gathers kaimoana for marae kaupapa and whakanuinga and incorporates diving into his hauora work.
He says for many tāne Māori, there is a sense of responsibility to provide kai.
“There are divers that often go out in whatever the conditions are, and there’s a bit more pressure on them to produce the kai because there’s an important thing on, like a tangi, a wedding that’s come up for somebody that they care about.”
Kiore says this pull can be felt particularly during tangihanga.
“Sometimes we don’t know what to do in that grief space. So, what we do is what we can, and if we’re over, we go and get kai...and that’s our way of showing our love.”
He recalls driving over the Dunedin hills mid-winter in the snow with chains on a four-wheel drive to provide kaimoana for a tangihanga after a young woman had passed.
“I remember hugging the rock when we got out, and there was ice on it. So, they are the types of things that we will do just out of love and out of that thing where that’s what we know to do”.
Over the past decade, Māori men, primarily aged 25–54, have accounted for nearly half of all drowning fatalities linked to underwater activities.
The disparity is more pronounced in cases involving diving for kai moana or fishing. Māori account for 58 percent of those fatalities, and all but one of those deaths were male. By comparison, NZ European accounted for 21 percent and Asian for 11 percent over the same period.
Despite ongoing prevention campaigns, the figures have remained relatively consistent year to year.
The risks for tāne Māori
Rob Hewitt, former Navy diver and Kaihautū at Water Safety New Zealand, says many drowning cases share common contributing factors: borrowed or ill-fitting gear, limited training, diving alone, and undiagnosed or unmanaged health conditions.
“When I look at coroner’s reports for Māori fatalities, around 50 percent of the gear is borrowed from whānau members,” Hewitt says.
He also points to underlying health risks among divers aged 45–55.
“They’ve drowned because they’ve had a heart attack under the water or a stroke. How do you tell your grandfather to stay home and wait for the kai to come to him?”
Nationally, more than half of drowning deaths in 2025, 55 percent (43 fatalities), involved people who were alone at the time, reinforcing longstanding safety advice not to dive solo.
“If you dive alone, you die alone,” Hewitt says.
Both Kiore and Hewitt say the focus should be on strengthening safety practices rather than discouraging participation. Kiore encourages divers to prioritise safety measures.
“Don’t be afraid to drop your weight belt if you’re struggling; you’ll float way easier. Don’t tie something to you that can anchor you to the bottom... Just basic stuff that actually makes a difference.”
His message to tāne Māori:
“Remember how important we are.”
