Basic water safety lessons include teaching children how to float on their back. Photo: 123rf.com
Water Safety New Zealand believes the government is turning a blind eye to drownings and is calling for more lessons in schools.
Last year, 90 people died in preventable drownings - well above the 10-year average of 82.
Water Safety chief executive Daniel Gerrard said a quarter of New Zealand children were not learning basic lifesaving water skills, such as floating on their back.
He had been asking to meet with the ministers of sport, health, education, ACC and transport on the issue.
"Regrettably, my attempts have been met with silence - an outcome that is both surprising and deeply concerning."
Getting water safety lessons into schools could help to lower the number of deaths by drowning, he said.
"That's getting into our schools and supporting teachers to deliver basic aquatic skills.
"Now, that is not [teaching them how] to swim. This is [about] floating, moving through the water - really basic stuff that, supported properly, teachers can do."
Gerrard said deaths by drowning were a public health issue, but so far, the ministers had been absent.
"We just need the opportunity to put this in front of the ministers.
"This is not an expensive fix. There's a lot that can be done, and is already going on.
"We just need an opportunity to put it on their radar."
He said it would cost $100 for a child to receive 10 lessons in a year, which would dramatically reduce drowning deaths.