AUCKLAND, Today: ThreeNews anchor and Stuff Senior Reporter Samantha Hayes has joined the mission to teach 10,000 Kiwi kids to swim safely this summer.
After a pool trip with her son Marlow, she’s auctioning herself off to host a Stuff Quiz and morning tea at the highest bidding workplace, with proceeds going to Water Safety NZ.
The winning business also scores sponsorship of the Stuff Quiz that day.
The campaign launched last month through Stuff and Water Safety New Zealand, inspired by shocking stats showing seven in ten Kiwi kids can’t float or tread water for more than three minutes.
So far, over 3,200 children have received eight in-pool lessons, giving them confidence in the water and potentially saving lives.
“They are skills that you need to stay safe in and around water. That’s what I love about this campaign and I have no doubt that it will save lives.” – Sinead Boucher, Stuff Owner and Publisher
Hayes’ own children started lessons young, but she knows that’s not possible for everyone. “We’re really privileged to be able to afford swimming lessons because they are expensive for families,” she says.
“They are skills that you need to stay safe in and around water. That’s what I love about this campaign and I have no doubt that it will save lives.”
Stuff Owner and Publisher Sinead Boucher says it’s a personal cause for her too, and she’s urging other businesses to jump in.
“I was part of a generation where learning to swim was a given and summers at the local pool were a childhood joy. But 130,000 Kiwi kids have never had the chance for a single lesson.
“If you had the chance to learn, and can contribute, please consider giving the same joy and freedom and lifesaving capability to a child today.”
The Quiz for a Cause with Samantha Hayes auction is live now on TradeMe. Donations can also be made directly, and businesses wanting to help can email lifesavings@stuff.co.nz so their support can be celebrated too.
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