This scholarship is attached to a Water Safety New Zealand funded study that is focused on understanding how different factors contribute to drowning risk for different individuals and groups and aims to ensure the water safety sector can:

  • design interventions that will result in meaningful change to a person’s behaviour that will lower their drowning risk
  • target interventions at the individuals who we have identified as at highest risk of drowning.

Water Safety New Zealand are interested in research in relation to targeted communities or groups who have a specific risk profile. Therefore, research on risk should be considered within the context of the specific environment or communities of interest.

Communities of Interest

For the purposes of this research, Water Safety New Zealand are interested in research on People and Prevention within the Auckland or Northland region. The research topic should include one of the following communities of interest:

People

  • Males aged 45+ with an emphasis in Northland on males aged 65+ years
  • Pacific People
  • Maori
  • New migrants, tourists and visitors to New Zealand

Environments

  • Salt water environments Beaches, Offshore and Tidal waters
  • Home pools

Activities

  • Immersion incidents (incidents where the deceased never intended on getting into the water),
  • Powered boats, swimming and underwater activities (diving) are the most common activities.

The research project will be supervised by Dr Denise Atkins – Email: [email protected] and Dr Matt Barker email: [email protected] – School of Sport and Recreation.

APPLICATION PROCESS

Applicants must meet the eligibility criteria as set out in the Scholarship Regulations and apply online via the application portal available from the AUT Scholarships database www.aut.ac.nz/scholarships

Closing date: 18 January 2019