The Social Policy and Parliamentary Unit have prepared this submission with the assistance and expertise of Water Safety New Zealand.
The Salvation Army believes that our children are our taonga – precious treasures and in need of our nurture and protection. A preschool child can drown in less than one minute. Every child drowning is considered preventable and we should be doing all we can to prevent those deaths.
The Salvation Army acknowledges that this Bill aims to “maintain child safety” whilst “reducing the compliance burden currently imposed on pool owners and territorial authorities in relation to residential pools.”However, the Salvation Army is concerned that the Bill as it stands does not adequately ensure the safety and welfare of our children.
Whilst The Salvation Army does not have specific expertise in water safety, we are choosing to submit on this Bill and highlight the concerns and recommendations of the water safety sector as we believe that the potential implications of this Bill are a social justice issue.