2014 Annual Report

It gives us great pleasure to present this, our Annual Report for 2014. This transition year has been both challenging and rewarding, as we have worked to implement the recommendations of last year’s sector review.  

We remain 100% committed to achieving our mission of reducing the number of kiwis drowning in New Zealand. In 2013, 107 souls lost their lives. This is a tragic loss of life, that all of us in the water safety sector believe could have largely been prevented. A further 171 were hospitalised as a result of immersion incidents, a burden we simply have to reduce.

WSNZ has been in transition since the Interim Board was disbanded in February 2014  and the new Board appointed. As a result of the MartinJenkins Report the new Board has undertaken a complete re-think of how we lead and facilitate the water safety sector. The Board recognises the pressure this has placed on management who have been spectacularly flexible in readily adopting the new culture of WSNZ. The Board is also grateful to the Board Appointments Panel led by Peter Fitzsimmons for its ongoing role in selecting and appointing Board members.

Sport New Zealand is now the government agency responsible for monitoring WSNZ and its accountability for funds. This formal relationship provides direction and requires solid performances by WSNZ. The Board is also delighted to have engaged on a Board to Board basis with Maritime New Zealand and to have agreed a set of guiding principles that will build a solid partnership in the years to come.

A key focus of the Board has been to realign investment priorities and core funding criteria.  While this will not have met everyone’s expectations in year one, the Board believes that the sector has greater ownership of the funding process and timeline than previously, and looks forward to working with members to further enhance the investment programme.

WSNZ has moved from project delivery into a policy and advocacy role. We have disestablished seven positions associated with delivery and increased resourcing around the core policy, advocacy and research functions.  We will continue to focus on this to enable us to work more effectively with our members to implement a new sector plan.  

Board and management are determined to be consultative. At the heart of the new WSNZ are partnerships. The new sector plan will provide a coherent means of working together to reduce drowning.  Strong partnerships will achieve this and provide a basis for new opportunities and recognition of the value of our members’ volunteer services. Whilst the drowning statistics are sobering, the number of rescues and lives saved by our members goes largely unacknowledged by society. There are thousands of grateful families who welcomed their loved ones home when something much more drastic might have happened had our lifesavers not been on the spot.

We are grateful for the support of our colleagues and members. Their invaluable work in achieving our common purpose is inspiring and must be recognised. To the passionate people, many of whom are volunteers, that save lives (in more ways than one) every day, we thank you.

Peter Dale, Chair                      

Matt Claridge, Chief Executive