NZ First is taking aim at the Government over water safety. 

“New Zealand is the third worst country in the developed world for drowning's, the curriculum has an expectation that schools will teach water safety, but the government refuses to pay for school pools,” says New Zealand First Deputy Leader and Spokesperson for Education Tracey Martin.

The Government urgently needs to fund school pools, says New Zealand First.

It is remarkable that 7 out of 10 kids can't swim. 29 per cent of 12 year olds can't swim 200 metres. 25 per cent of 10-year-olds can't float. 

When you consider that this country has rivers, lakes and coasts like no other and swimming pools in abundance the stats are shameful. 

NZ First says its all because the school pool has disappeared, therefore, its the Governments fault.

Schools have been removing their pools since the mid-80's. I think it started with Tomorrow's Schools. Cost was clearly a factor. 

The alternative has been to take the kids to the local pool which isn't as frequent as having the pool on school grounds. 

The question is - is the number of drowning's directly related to the phasing out of the school pool ? 

When I was at school, which was a little while ago, we went to the school pool almost daily during summer. 

But here's the thing: going to the local pool after school and during weekends was the thing we did as kids. Every day of the summer I would probably go to the pool. Get on the bike and go have some fun. That is how I learnt to swim. I don't necessarily think it was exclusively in the school pool. It would have helped but I don't think it was critical. 

I think what we are seeing is reflective of what kids do in their spare time nowadays rather than a school not having a pool. 

The issue of kids not being able to swim is serious but its simplistic to blame the government and the absence of a school pool. 

Many schools do actually still have a pool by the way.

You don't learn to swim on a skateboard. You don't learn to swim in front of the TV. You don't learn to swim playing video games.

Fact - it costs next to nothing to go to the local pool.