Calls to close swimming beach after four drown in the Manawatū River

Monday, 3 January 2022

Local iwi member Jason Hina endorses the message of the signs warning people not to swim in the Manawatū River at Ahimate Park.

The second of two double-drownings at the Manawatū River in Palmerston North has intensified calls to close the promoted swim spot of Ahimate Beach indefinitely.

The city council was on Monday installing “swimming not advised” signs to reinforce the rāhui already in place.

The cultural ban on entering the water came into effect after a Burmese woman and an 11-year-old girl went missing in the river on Wednesday. The girl’s body was recovered on Friday, and the woman’s body was found several kilometres downstream near Karere Rd on Sunday.

Despite the rāhui, on Sunday more swimmers were at the beach, and two Samoan men drowned about 5.30pm. Their bodies were recovered before dark.

* Bodies of two men recovered after drowning on Manawatū River

* Search for woman missing in Manawatū River continues

Ju Nay Say, a member of the Karen community in Wellington, which came to Palmerston North to support the families of the first two victims, was surprised there were no signs sooner.

She had walked along the river helping with the search, and there were no clear signs about not swimming in the river, or the danger of the river.

Senior Sergeant Phil Ward confirms another drowning in the Manawatu River today in the same area where two people went missing the previous week. (First published January 2, 2022)

Without any signs or police tape, people did not know they should not go swimming on a hot day, she said.

She said she was not complaining, but just wanted everyone to be safe.

“Not everyone will read the news, not everyone can read English or access the news, so how do they know about the rāhui and not swimming in the river?”

Water Safety NZ spokesman Rob Hewitt, who was also on the search team, said he did not think the area should be promoted as a swim spot.

He said after the tragedy of four lives lost, it was time to shut it down.

Hewitt said many people were ignorant about the rāhui, and others did not understand the area’s cultural significance, which should make them more cautious.

“It’s all about respect.”

Hewitt said it was not safe to go in the river when someone had died.

People are being encouraged to stay out of the Manawatū River.

He said when the rāhui was lifted, in possibly 10 days, the city council needed to do more to patrol or pay for lifesavers to be on site

“The council have encouraged people to come. Don’t you have an obligation to look after people if you say it’s a swimming area?”

Horizons Regional Council chairwoman Rachel Keedwell said the tragedies were awful, in an area of the city she knew well and considered part of her own backyard.

“We need to stop, and take stock, and consider what can be done differently.”

Keedwell said she had welcomed the way more people were engaging with the river, and Horizons had invested heavily in water quality testing as a guide to when it was safe to go into the water.

But she wanted to review whether more could be done to alert people to the dangers of swimming in a river, especially if they were not confident swimmers.

“It’s not the same as a swimming pool.

“The river is dynamic and changing and running quite high at the moment, and the current can be deceptive.

Emergency services at Ahimate Reserve on Sunday evening.

“It’s a river. It wil be dangerous, and people need to be individually aware of their capabilities.”

Keedwell said she had swum in the river on Boxing Day, but would not return while the rāhui was in place.

“I won’t be swimming now. It’s a respect thing after the tragedies. We need to take some time.”

She thought the city council’s signs were an appropriate start.

But she said it was inevitable people would return to swimming there, and there was work to do to ensure drownings did not happen again.

Keedwell could not say whether the regional council would be open to considering having lifeguards patrolling the area.

Palmerston North mayor Grant Smith said he had already shared his condolences with the Karen community, and could not believe when he heard two more people had drowned.

“There was a rāhui in place, but it was pretty well ignored. It was hot, I can understand people wanting to dip their feet in, but they were jumping right in.”

Smith said at times it was safe to swim in the river, but it changed quickly and became deceptive and treacherous.

He said many people did not learn to swim any more, let alone develop a good understanding of rivers and their dangers, and there was work to do around education, especially for new arrivals.

Smith said he was open to working with Horizons and other councils about whether there should be some form of lifesaving or water safety patrols at known swimming spots.

City council acting chief executive Chris Dhyrberg said staff would work with Horizons, police and Rangitāne to decide how long Ahimate should remain a no-swimming area.

He said while that ban was in place, lifeguards should not be required, as people should not be swimming.

Stuff also asked what information new migrants to Palmerston North were given about water safety.

Welcoming packs included a note that discouraged swimming in the river when it was high.

“We will continue to work alongside police, Horizons Regional Council, Rangitāne and some of our community partners who work with newcomers to Palmy over the coming weeks to determine what further educational material is needed.”