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Circumstances surrounding drowning in those under 25 in New Zealand (1980-2002)

18th November, 2021

This publication was produced in collaboration with Water Safety New Zealand. Its objective is to describe the epidemiology of drowning in 0-24 year olds in New Zealand with a view to identifying where appropriate interventions might decrease child and youth mortality.

Unintentional injury is the leading cause of death for 1-24 year olds in New Zealand.

  • In the 1-14 year age group drowning is the second leading cause of injury death after motor vehicle accidents.
  • Deaths amongst 0-24 year olds in 1996 alone accounted for 33,762 years of potential life lost.
  • Each year approximately 20,000 children and teenagers receive hospital inpatient treatment for injury.

This publication is a description of data from 1980-2002, for 0-24 year olds in New Zealand.