A grant of $40,630 from NZCT is being given to Tauranga City Council to help support the Water Skills for Life programme and transportation costs.

The Water Skills for Life programme is delivered by BaySwim to schools in the region without pools.

"It's aim is to educate and teach children life-saving skills around the water and provide a set of water survival skills by the end of their primary school years," says BaySwim manager Claire Horner.

"This arms the children with long-term water safety techniques to carry through into their adult years.

"Over the next year we aim to deliver to more than 3300 tamariki across 15 schools. Each child will attend four to five hours of water skills and safety sessions, taught over a period of five to 10 weeks."

'They enjoyed the boat safety and overall, the games that the instructors played to make swimming fun. It especially gave our least confident swimmers a positive view on swimming when they were originally scared. This built up their confidence to ask to swim in the deep pool again,” says Mikeely Ivil from Te Ākau Ki Pāpāmoa School.

"Wearing the life jackets for the deep-water survival was definitely a highlight. They also enjoyed lots of active time during the lessons," says Katie McKenzie from Selwyn Ridge.

"Students love their lessons, their confidence in the water has grown," says Emma Frost from Arataki School.

"Great opportunity for students to develop skills over the 10 weeks, some don't get these experiences, deeper pool, life jackets session," says Rachel from Arataki School.