Youthtown Makes a Splash at Hutchwilco New Zealand Boat Show

Youthtown is launching a new Aqua Fun Zone at the Hutchwilco New Zealand Boat Show at ASB Showgrounds in Greenlane on 12-15 May. The zone is an interactive hall for children and youth which will cater for organised school group visits.



Given New Zealand has one of the highest rates of drowning in the Western world, the programme of activities in the Aqua Fun Zone (Hall 4A) will focus on educating students about the importance of water safety and teaching water survival skills. The school boating and water safety programme runs from 9.30am – 2.30pm on Thursday 12 and Friday 13 May and continues over the weekend for members of the public.



There will be lots of exciting indoor pool activities on offer thanks to the PoolsiNSchoolZ Trust plus the opportunity to try sailing and a surf rescue simulator. There will also be a range of demonstrations from Youthtown Outdoors, Water Safety NZ, Surf Life Saving NZ, Yachting NZ, Watersafe Auckland Inc, Elements Water Sports, Stand Up Paddle Boarding NZ, Waterwise, Sea Scouts and Voyager NZ.



Youthtown CEO, Keith Thorpe, says: “Boating and water sports are popular leisure activities in New Zealand and providing the Aqua Fun Zone at the boat show was a great way for us to open the door to these for young Kiwis.



“Fun is at the heart of everything we stand for, and this project provided the perfect platform to create fun, but also educate youth on the importance of water safety. We urge attendees to bring their togs with them so they can take part in all of the activities on offer,” adds Thorpe.



Attendees can try trapeze and traditional sailing, stand-up paddle boarding, windsurfing and optimist rigging or take a swimming lesson through Sealord Swim for Life.



Other activities include:

· Ara Moana Programme where students will have an overview of the Polynesian migration to Aotearoa 1000 years ago

· Hypothermia awareness

· IRB Rescue Challenge and Rip Interactive

· The Great Drain Game – an interactive way to discover what happens to liquids as they go from drains through to waterways



The Hutchwilco New Zealand Boat Show is New Zealand’s longest running and most popular boating expo. First run over 55 years ago, the show still features New Zealand’s widest range of boats, engines, electronics and marine accessories.



For more information or to learn more about Youthtown, visit www.youthtown.org.nz