Child drowned within minutes after being left near open septic tank
Monday, 22 June 2026
A three-year-old boy drowned in an open septic tank at his Hicks Bay home while his grandfather briefly searched for a temporary cover.
Courageous Atkinson-Walker fell into a septic tank that was three-quarters full of raw sewage during repair work in January 2025.
Coroner Thomas found the death was a preventable drowning, noting it takes less than two minutes for a child to drown in water.
A 3-year-old boy drowned last year after falling into an open septic tank while his grandfather was preparing to fix its broken lid.
Courageous Atkinson-Walker died on January 30, 2025, at his home in Hicks Bay, Gisborne. In findings released by the Palmerston North Coroners Court on June 5, 2026, Coroner Thomas said the death was a tragic illustration of a preventable drowning of a young child near water.
The findings detailed how the boy’s grandfather, Mr Walker, had removed a broken concrete lid on the inground septic tank to measure it for replacement. The tank was approximately 120cm to 150cm deep and three-quarters full of raw sewage. Courageous, who was 107cm tall, could not swim.
Walker had warned his grandsons to stay away from the hole. Later in the day, after realising he could not finish the repair, Walker went to a nearby shed to look for a temporary cover. Courageous was momentarily left unsupervised.
Within “no longer than a couple of minutes”, Walker returned with a piece of plywood and saw Courageous face down in the tank. Walker pulled the boy out, laid him on the lawn, and began CPR while liquid came out of the child's mouth. The boy’s mother, who had just finished mowing the lawns and was putting the mower away, helped with resuscitation efforts.
Emergency services were dispatched at 3.43pm, but the remote location delayed their arrival. A family member who was an emergency medical technician arrived first and continued chest compressions. Emergency services arrived later but were unable to revive the boy, who was declared dead at 4.49pm.
Forensic pathologist Dr Glenn concluded the cause of death was drowning. Toxicological analysis showed no sewage gas metabolites were detected, and police confirmed there were no suspicious circumstances.
Coroner Thomas highlighted public safety messaging from Water Safety New Zealand, noting that it takes less than two minutes for a child to drown. Statistics between 2015 and 2024 showed that drownings in drains, ponds, and buckets around homes and rural properties were the second highest category of drowning deaths for children under five, surpassed only by home pools.
The inquiry noted a previous 2025 coronial investigation into the drowning of 22-month-old Kelvin Chand, which supported amending Australian/New Zealand Standards to require security grates inside septic tank openings. The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment confirmed the standards were under review, but any changes would not apply retrospectively to existing tanks.