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There are calls for lifesaving patrols to be established at Pakiri Beach after the death of a 12-year-old who was pulled unconscious from the water on Monday afternoon.
The girl, who has not yet been named but is believed to have been a tourist from overseas, was with her parents when she got into difficulty.
Witnesses say the girl was dragged to the shore where a nurse and a doctor, who both happened to be at the beach, performed CPR until help arrived.
She was flown with her mother to Auckland City Hospital in a critical condition but died in the early hours of yesterday.
Her death - the 12th drowning this year - has prompted calls for lifeguards to patrol what is becoming an increasingly popular beach during summer.
Christine Baines, who spends every summer at the beach in a family bach, said the drowning highlighted the need for a lifesaving patrol - something she believed should be funded by the controversial profits of mining sand from the beach.
"Some of that money that is coming in should be spend on protecting our public," she said.
Rodney Mayor Penny Webster said that while the girl's death was a tragedy, it was believed to have been the first drowning there in about 50 years.
