Aquatic risk management and evidence-based decision making: Hunua Falls, Auckland, New Zealand

Drowning is the third highest cause of unintentional death in New Zealand (Accident Compensation Corporation, 2005). On average, 108 people drown in New Zealand every year. Historically, a wide range of strategies have been implemented to reduce drowning and injury, and since the 1980s and 1990s these have led to a steady decline in the drowning rate. However, any tailored distribution of programmes and resources to particular aquatic sites has often been based on a 'best guess' of what was required, or a reactive response following a drowning incident. To further reduce the risk of drowning and injury in New Zealand, evidence-based decision making and effective use of finite resources is required. To achieve this, I have developed an aquatic risk management framework to enable the water safety sector to make informed decisions, and to ensure that high-risk locations are identified and resourced accordingly (Mulcahy, 2014).