Community Resources

Water Skills for Life has been developed for students in years 0 - 8 in New Zealand primary schools and Kura. The programme has been designed to give children the best skills to help them keep safe in, on and around the water for lifelong enjoyment. Water Skills for Life can be taught by any teacher in a school pool and classroom. It is taught... Keep Reading

A core competency of Water Skills for Life is children learning getting in and out of the water safely. For young children or beginners this may look like an assisted safe and confident entry and exit in a pool using the pool ladder or walking up and down a ramp. Keep Reading

A core competency of Water Skills for Life is children learning to move in the water safely. For children with emerging confidence this may look like them in the water happily using their bodies and arms rotating around themselves in both directions with feet off the ground. Keep Reading

A core competency of Water Skills for Life is children learning to go under the water safely. For children with confidence this may look like them submerging their whole face with open eyes and blowing bubbles, and blinking eyes on the surface to remove water. Keep Reading

A core competency of Water Skills for Life is children learning to move through the water safely. For graduates of Water Skills for Life, this may look like children floating then regaining feet. Controlling their breathing while floating on their back for at least one minute and sculling head-first and/or feet first for at least three minutes. Keep Reading

Water Skills for Life has been developed for students in years 0 - 8 in New Zealand primary schools and Kura. The programme has been designed to give children the best skills to help them keep safe in, on and around the water for lifelong enjoyment. Water Skills for Life can be taught by any teacher in a school pool and classroom. It is taught... Keep Reading

The Water Skills for Life programme includes Water Safety and Awareness. This learning area provides opportunities for students to be able to recognise when someone or themselves are in trouble in, on or around the water. Students learn to understand and respect water safety rules, hazards and risks around the home, beach, river, lake and pools. Keep Reading

The Water Skills for Life programme includes Moving Through the Water. This learning area provides opportunities for students to learn to move through the water in any form as long as they move competently, confidently, and without struggling or stopping, for the required time or distance. It doesn't need to involve the strokes of swimming. Keep Reading

The Water Skills for Life programme includes What to do in an Emergency. This learning area provides students with the opportunity to learn how to float and signal for help with and without a flotation aid and do a dryland reach rescue and a throw rescue with a buddy in the water. Keep Reading

The Water Skills for Life programme includes Rolling and Turning in the Water. This learning area provides students with the opportunity to learn how to roll from front to back to front with feet off the pool floor. In addition they learn horizontal to vertical rotation and vertical rotation around the body’s vertical axis. Keep Reading

The Water Skills for Life programme includes Floating on the Water. This learning area provides students with the opportunity to learn how to float and then regain feet and float on their back for at least one minute with controlled breathing. They learn to scull and tread water for at least three minutes in deep water. Keep Reading

The Water Skills for Life programme includes Going under the Water. This learning area provides students with the opportunity to learn how to get under water, open their eyes and control their breathing after surfacing. Students then progress to picking up an object from under the water and learn to dive from a horizontal position in the water and. Keep Reading

A core competency of Water Skills for Life is children learning getting in and out of the water safely. For a five year old this may look like an assisted safe and confident entry and exit in a pool using the pool ladder or walking up and down a ramp. For older children this may look like a safe bomb into deep water and climbing out of the... Keep Reading

New Zealand rivers are changeable and unpredictable and can contain hidden dangers. Look before you leap. Check for hidden objects and swimming holes can change depth summer to summer and currents can move objects underwater. Near dams water levels and flows can change significantly throughout the day and massive flows may be released at any... Keep Reading

Rivers are New Zealand’s most dangerous aquatic environment. To be safe around rivers, learners need to gain experience of rivers. Keep Reading