Two Christchurch city councillors want the council to pay for swimming lessons for kids - and I think it’s a fantastic idea. 
They are Jake McLelland and Melanie Coker. They’ll find out at a meeting on Thursday whether their fellow councillors also think it’s a good idea. 
They’ve been motivated by what’s been happening around the country over summer. Already, the number of drownings is the highest it’s been for nearly 40 years. 
Add to that the latest Beach and Coastal Safety Report, which says the 10-year average for beach and coastal drownings is up 44 percent and about a third of us can’t swim or float in the ocean for more than a few minutes. 
You might have heard Water Safety New Zealand Ambassador Rob Hewitt talking about it with Mike Hosking this morning. 
One of the key things he said was that people can be a bit over-enthusiastic when it comes to throwing themselves in the water, and don’t always think whether they might be over-estimating their swimming ability. And that’s understandable, isn’t it? 
I’m probably at the other end of the spectrum because water terrifies me. Even though I’ve sailed for years - and even though our kids have grown up around water and they’re into watersports big time. In fact, our two boys are on the water pretty much every day at the moment. Despite all that, the potential for things to go drastically wrong in water terrifies me. 
I’d like to think that I’m terrified in a positive way. I suppose “respect” might be a better word to use than “terrified”. But, even though I love getting out on the water, I know it will never be my friend. 
That was something I always said to the kids when they were younger. Yes, water can be fun - but it’s not your friend. 
So, Christchurch councillors Jake McLellan and Melanie Coker want the council to do something, and good on them. 
As they say, every child should have the opportunity to develop basic water skills without financial barriers getting in the way. 
And I know how expensive it can be. I can’t remember exactly how much we paid for swimming lessons when the kids were young, but I know we were very fortunate that we could afford it. Although it did stretch things a bit - but we saw it as a no-brainer. 
But if we’d been in a different financial position, then I’ve no doubt that the swimming lessons probably would’ve been one of the first things to go. 
And that’s what Jake McLellan and Melanie Coker want to address. And that’s why, as a Christchurch ratepayer, I’d have no problem with the council putting more money into teaching kids how to keep themselves safe in water. 
I know the Council already subsidises low-decile schools for swimming lessons. But what these two councillors want is for the Council to provide swimming lessons for all children either up to 12, or up to 16. And that will be thrashed out at the council meeting on Thursday. 
I remember when I was on the board at our local primary school - which is going back a few years - and being a bit of a lone voice when it came to this, because the school pulled the plug on its pool after the earthquakes. 
I thought having a new pool would be a real benefit, but it didn’t go anywhere. Other schools did a much better job on that front and either repaired or built new pools. I think West Spreydon School was one of them. 
And good on them for doing that. Because teaching kids to be confident in water - and not over confident - is essential, in my view. 
And that’s exactly what councillors Jake McLellan and Melanie Coker think we should be doing as a city. Especially one which is currently building a monster of a swimming pool down Moorhouse Avenue way. 
The other thing these two councillors are pushing for is free off-peak entry to city pools for children - they’ve put three age brackets up for discussion: under-five, under-12 or under-16. 
Because that’s the other thing, isn’t it? It can...

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