The Kiwi-Indian community is still in shock and grief following the unfortunate deaths of Saurin Nayankumar Patel (28) and Anshul Pareshbhai Shah (32) at Auckland's Piha Beach on Saturday.
Both Patel and Shah, who hailed from Ahmedabad in the Indian State of Gujarat, were swept away by waves.
One of the closest friends of Patel and Shah, Apurva Modi, has set up a Givealittle page (https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/support-piha-beach-victims) to support their families in this time of grief.
“Our young Anshul and Saurin are no longer with us. Both parents and grandparents are eagerly waiting to see their sons in India for their last rites. Please extend your support to make this possible and grant our friends the peace they deserve.” reads the Givealittle page.
In some 14 hours since the page was set up, a sum of $6,202 has been donated to the page.
This tragedy has again brought focus on the importance of increasing awareness about the dangers around water bodies and the need to have more safety on our beaches including more patrolling. Reportedly, there have been six fatal drownings in Auckland since Friday afternoon.
It may be noted that the new migrants like Anshul, who just came to New Zealand on November last year are not so aware of how dangerous some beaches can be, and there is a need to focus on raising awareness in this direction.
Talking to Indian Weekender, ACT Party leader David Seymour said, “I was terribly saddened by the tragic loss of these two men. If you haven't grown up being warned how dangerous the sea can be, it might be easy to make this mistake. Reportedly, these two men lost their lives because they were not swimming between the flags. ACT believes the government should warn people about the dangers of the sea just like it warns people about the dangers of smoking, dangerous driving, and unhealthy food.”
Notably, on December 29, 2022, Priyanca Radhakrishnan, the Minister for the Community & Voluntary Sector, Diversity, Inclusion & Ethnic Communities, and Youth, was quoted as saying, "Our $63 million package for water safety initiatives in Budget 2020 has been a game changer for our water safety sector, which is run almost entirely by passionate Kiwi volunteers.
"This is the first time in Surf Life Saving NZ's 110-year history that central government has financially supported surf lifesaving clubs on the frontline, and it has made a huge difference to the work and wellbeing of the key volunteers that run their 74 clubs nationwide. The funding has allowed Surf Life Saving NZ to maintain frontline services even when their traditional revenue streams were under pressure due to Covid.”
Radhakrishnan has also stressed that while enjoying the ocean, lakes and rivers is a big part of summer in NZ, we all have a responsibility to look out for ourselves, our family and our friends when visiting the beach or out on a boat.
When IWK Contacted Radhakrishnan specifically about the initiatives to increase awareness about safe surfing among the new migrants, who are relatively unaware of the dangers around water in NZ, a spokesperson from her office said, "Specifically on helping our ethnic communities with water safety, the recently established Ministry for Ethnic Communities has funded initiatives working toward this goal - including Global Swim.
“Global Swim works with diverse communities and aquatic industry professionals to increase diversity and inclusion in water safety training and aquatic activities, focusing on community empowerment and promoting stronger partnerships."
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