Safe swimming in Napier

Published: 22 December 2017

Napier has a new water safety brochure - and improved safe swimming signs - in place for the summer holidays.

One of the updated signs now installed on Marine Parade.

The second annual edition of Napier City Council’s summer water safety brochure is out now.

Its release coincides with the installation of 18 updated safe swimming reminder signs on Marine Parade, from a location near Magnet Cafe in the north, to Waitangi Regional Park in the south, near the celestial compass. The flyer and signs are supported by Surf Lifesaving New Zealand (SLNZ), and Hawke’s Bay Regional Council.

It includes top tips for keeping safe in the water, information on which beaches within NCC’s boundaries are patrolled, and for the first time, information on the weekly swimming water quality tests conducted by the HBRC. “We received such positive feedback from the community and visitors last summer, that we decided to do the same again this summer. It’s the sort of information that’s valuable not only to people who are passing through Napier, but for locals too,” says Natasha Carswell, Manager Community Strategies, Napier City Council.

The updated signs have been placed at the busiest access points to the beach, such as entry points from public carparks, on the beach side of the Rotary pathway. In addition the signs on either side of the Pacific Surf Lifesaving Club direct people towards the area patrolled by the organisation’s lifeguards. 

The flyer has been distributed to accommodation providers and the i-SITE. It will also be available from NCC’s main reception and Napier libraries.

The updated signs have been placed at the busiest access points to the beach, such as entry points from public carparks, on the beach side of the Rotary pathway. In addition the signs on either side of the Pacific Surf Lifesaving Club direct people towards the area patrolled by the organisation’s lifeguards. It is the only patrolled area on Marine Parade. If feedback from the public suggests additional signs need to be added, NCC will investigate.

Surf Life Saving New Zealand (SLNZ) would not be able to provide mid-week patrols on Marine Parade, at Westshore and Waipatiki over summer without the support of NCC, says Charlie Cordwell, SLNZ Central Region Manager. “The flyer is an excellent initiative, it helps reinforce SLSNZ’s key safety messages, and potentially helps communicate those messages to a wider group.”

Surf Lifesaving NZ’s top tips for keeping safe in the water:

• never swim or surf alone
• listen to the advice from lifeguards
• swim between the flags
• always have an adult watch over children
• know your limits and if in doubt stay out
• if you see someone in trouble call 111 and report it to the police
• watch out for rips
• be smart around rocks.

For more information about Surf Lifesaving NZ, visit their website www.slsnz.org.nz. For more information about Hawke’s Bay water quality for swimming purposes, go to www.hbrc.govt.nz keyword #swimming.  

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