Close calls bring warning to parents

File photo / Northern Advocate

Two near-drownings of small children in Northland have prompted a call for parents to keep a close eye on their children near water.

Northland ambulance boss Tony Devanney said his staff were called to the two incidents - in three days - in the Far North and he urged people to make sure children were adequately supervised near water.

His call has been backed by the general manager of Water Safety New Zealand, Matt Claridge.

Mr Devanney said a 2-year-old boy was found floating face-down in a lagoon or creek at Spirits Bay over the New Year weekend, and a 9-year-old boy was found face-down in a pond at Lily Pond Farm, Paihia, last Tuesday.

In both cases members of the public performed CPR on the boys until advanced paramedics arrived. Both boys were flown to Whangarei Hospital and are believed to have recovered.

But with 11 drownings around New Zealand over the Christmas-New Year holiday, Mr Devanney and Mr Claridge are thankful the Northland incidents didn't add to the toll.

Mr Claridge said it was not that common to have young children nearly drown during the supervised summer holiday period.

Children could quickly disappear if not watched constantly and the two near-misses were reminders to always keep an eye on children near water.

"Really, if you've got young kids in the water then their parents or caregivers should ideally be within arm's reach of them. Parents and caregivers should also be able to provide the necessary assistance if a child does get into trouble in the water, like CPR," Mr Claridge said.

"It's about uncompromised supervision and being alert.

"If your young kids are in the water you should be in the water with them, then there's less chance of anything happening."

He said in 2009 Northland's drowning rate was 8.5 in 100,000 people, the highest in the country.

The national average was 2.5 drownings per 100,000 population in 2009, with drowning statistics for last year to be released next week.