Background In New Zealand, there are more than 425,000 km (264,000 mi) of rivers and streams and about 4,000 lakes. People are recreating more in and around inland water, increasing the number of fatal and non-fatal incidents in lakes and rivers.

Drowning Prevention Auckland (DPA) partnered with three councils in Auckland, Northland, and Waikato, to identify their local hazards associated with these natural waterways to inform policy and raise public awareness.

Description DPA completed freshwater hazard assessments at 50 sites across the three regions. DPA undertook field observations and desk analysis to identify Identification of hazards within the individual aquatic environments, assessment of existing aquatic safety signage onsite and providing recommendations to enhance public safety, knowledge and wellbeing within specific aquatic environments or locations.

Hazard pins for freshwater sites in Northland and Auckland were established on the Safeswim platform (https://www.safeswim.org.nz/). These inclusions provided an opportunity to inform awareness and thereby change behaviours.

Lessons Learned Some of the sites observed in their normal state did not pose a hazard to the public (depth, topography). However, flood levels water lines were evident on riverbanks with no public flood warning system or signage to alert the public of flash flooding or an increase in water levels.

Recommendations across the three regions include public rescue equipment (PRE), additional or new signage, or inclusion as a new pin to the SafeSwim forum to enhance public safety at these locations.

Most of the signage found in sites was not compliant to the New Zealand Standard AS/NZS 2416.1:2010 Water safety signs and beach safety flags - Specifications for water safety signs used in workplaces and public areas, including carpark and access signs.

Conclusions The project identified that to analyse actual risk of each of the environments, in-depth visitation data should be obtained. Observing the public on how they recreate in and around the water further informs policy, rescue response equipment and signage.

Councils are becoming more aware of their obligations to provide a safe environment and safety advice. Engaging with more councils across the country will ensure a consistent approach to freshwater water safety and public awareness.