Across the 19^th century drowning was so common in New Zealand, it was known as “The New Zealand death.” While completing her Master of Arts in History at Victoria University, Jessica Maynard’s interest was piqued for how and why New Zealand tackled the problem in the 20^th century.

Academic thesis Drown-proofing New Zealand: The Learn-to-Swim and Prevent Drowning Campaigns, 1936-1956 was completed in 2013.

“The notion of ‘The New Zealand Death’ seemed incredible to me,” says Jessica.
“For my Master’s, I focused on the learn to swim and prevent drowning campaigns. To understand how and why drowning first became a significant concern for the government and the impact of successive efforts to tackle the number of New Zealanders drowning.”

Water Safety New Zealand is grateful for Jessica’s role in documenting our history.
The thesis includes focus on the National Prevent Drowning Publicity Campaign Committee of 1949 – where our roots begin.

“I didn’t set out on the research from any specific aquatic background or with a career goal. Like so many millions of New Zealanders, I have a deep love of the water – rivers, lakes and the sea. It really is just who we are as New Zealanders.

“I was fascinated to understand more about how the government and society began to turn around what was once known as the biggest threat to life in this country in terms of accidental deaths.”  

Government attention on swimming and lifesaving took a step up soon after the Great Depression. And continued to around the mid 1950’s.

“What my research showed was the momentum and focus of the Physical Welfare Branch in the ‘30s and ‘40s really did make a difference to New Zealand’s culture around water, recreation, and recognising the need for safety in and around the water..  

“By today’s standards it does seem a little funny to think of the equivalent of the Department of Internal Affairs offering swimming lessons. But the campaign of 1949 followed pretty heavy momentum – water safety was a big issue.”

And what about any conclusions from the thesis? Is drowning prevention “the concern of the individual” or the state? Perhaps the answer is always in turbid water.

“It’s pretty obvious today that there’s so much more to keeping safe in water than simply knowing how to swim,” says Jessica.
“All of us have an individual responsibility to look after ourselves – but it's also in the government’s interest for people to be happy, safe, and able to enjoy themselves without being injured or at risk of dying.

“It is always a balance and more can always be done from both sides.”

Prevent Drowning Publicity Campaign

From November 1949 to February 1950 extensive use was made of press and radio publicity. Ten thousand copies of each of six posters were printed for distribution throughout the country. The production of publicity folders and stickers was delayed through printing difficulties, so they could not be used during the campaign, but will be available for future campaigns.

Owing to the experimental nature of the campaign, and a late start, all the publicity was not distributed throughout the country at an ideal time, but the valuable lessons learnt will facilitate the running of future campaigns.

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