Thousands of Kiwi kids suffer preventable injuries - report

File photo / NZ Herald

A whopping 8000 New Zealand children are admitted to hospital with preventable injuries every year, a new report shows.

Safekids Aotearoa has created infographics of recent unintentional child injury statistics available in each District Health Board (DHB) nationwide.

Almost 40,000 children went to hospital with preventable injuries such as car crashes or falls between 2008 and 2012 - making up 97 per cent of all injury-related, child hospital admissions nationwide.

Safekids Aotearoa Director Ann Weaver says the figures were alarming.

"Every week on average around 150 children in New Zealand are hospitalised with serious injuries from an unintentional injury, and a further 1 to 2 children are killed the same way."

Injuries as a result of falls were the leading cause of hospitalisation and the number one killer for children between 2006 and 2010 in most regions was suffocation, she said.

Just 1 per cent of children were hospitalised for assaults and another 1 per cent were hospitalised as a result of self-harm between 2008 and 2012.

Ms Weaver said the organisation had released the infographics to help health boards work with injury prevention stakeholders across the country.

"All DHBs need to do their part to ensure children enjoy a life free from the adverse effects of unintentional injury and that they grow to their full potential," Ms Weaver added.

The infographics are available online at the Safekids Aotearoa website.