Water Safety New Zealand has released a breakdown of the total drownings that occurred in the Waikato region in 2016 - and it doesn't bode well for the Waikato.
Chief executive Jonty Mills said the Waikato's 17 total drownings in 2016 was significantly up on the region's average of 11 per year over the last five years.
The incidents made up 21 per cent of all preventable drownings in New Zealand last year, meaning the Waikato was over-represented proportionate to population.
While males are also traditionally over-represented in drowning statistics nationwide, making up 85 per cent of fatalities, the demographic was even greater in the Waikato, with all of those who died in the region's lakes, rivers and waterways last year being male.
"Young Kiwi males tend to overestimate their abilities and underestimate the risks, so not necessarily think about the consequences," said Mills.