May 5, 2026

Kia Maanu, Kia Ora! Stay Afloat, Stay Alive !

Mark Haimona is a leading Māori water safety educator and researcher from Aotearoa New Zealand whose work has helped reshape Indigenous drowning-prevention strategies through culturally grounded education and community engagement. His career has focused on moving beyond traditional Western lifeguarding models toward approaches that connect directly with communities, culture, and environment.

His work has had strong influence internationally, including in Hawaiʻi, where Native Hawaiian watermen, researchers, and educators have looked to Māori-led models for guidance in developing culturally relevant prevention strategies. Mark’s philosophy and outreach methods helped influence the thinking of Hawaiʻi water safety advocates, including work connected to John “Kalei” Clark and broader Native Hawaiian waterman traditions that emphasize environmental knowledge, ocean awareness, and intergenerational teaching.

A central theme of the discussion was that effective drowning prevention must be culturally grounded. Mark emphasized that Westernized, one-size-fits-all approaches often fail to reach Indigenous communities. Instead, successful strategies are developed “by the people, for the people.”

Face-to-face engagement kanohi ki te kanohi was highlighted as essential for building trust and delivering meaningful education. Communities respond more strongly when they understand who is delivering the message and the cultural connection behind it.

The discussion closely paralleled Native Hawaiian ocean knowledge traditions practiced by generations of Hawaiʻi watermen, where reading currents, weather, waves, reefs, and ocean conditions is considered just as important as swimming ability itself. A key message was that many drownings occur not because people cannot swim, but because they lack awareness, preparation, or connection to the environment around them.

Strong parallels were identified between Māori communities and Native Hawaiian communities, particularly in the areas of ocean knowledge, intergenerational teaching, and culturally rooted water safety practices. These lessons can be reinforced in the Hawaiʻi’s 2025 Water Safety Plan and the need to prioritize youth-focused education and community-driven prevention efforts. The conversation reinforced that drowning prevention should be approached as a public health issue requiring collaboration, cultural respect, and continued international exchange between Aotearoa New Zealand and Hawaiʻi.

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Standardization of Practice and Lifeguards should be First Responders and Families should know Pushy Pushy Blowy Blowy Sparky Sparky

In this episode, internationally recognized experts Dr. Patrick Morgan Medical Director to His Majesty’s Coastguard. He has been a key contributor to advancing standardized drowning definitions and reporting frameworks, helping align global data and improve prevention strategies. His work spans the full continuum of drowning from prevention and rescue to resuscitation and post-incident care emphasizing a systems-based, data-driven approach.

Adrian Mayhew of Surf Life Saving Great Britain brings decades of leadership in emergency response, lifeguard operations, and drowning prevention to the conversation. Together, they outline a systems-based approach that connects prevention, rescue, resuscitation, and post-incident care. He has extensive experience in lifeguard training, operational response, and national program development, helping shape how surf lifesaving is delivered across the UK. His work bridges frontline lifesaving with broader public safety strategy.

They discuss the importance of standardizing drowning definitions, using data to better target risk, and aligning global response frameworks. A major highlight is the United Kingdom’s move to embed water safety education into the national school curriculum by 2026, ensuring children develop practical skills and awareness early in life.

The episode reinforces the need to recognize ocean lifeguards as first responders, while also expanding capacity through trained community members and coordinated systems. With drowning costing an estimated £450 million annually in the UK, the discussion underscores that prevention is both a public health and economic priority.

At its core, the conversation brings complex systems back to simple, lifesaving action reminding families and communities that in an emergency, knowing “Pushy Pushy, Blowy Blowy, Sparky Sparky” CPR and AED use can make the difference between life and death.

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4.17.26 For the live show, Margaret catches up with outgoing Kauaʻi Mayor Derek S.K. Kawakami, an avid waterman and surfer, on the collaborations and progress that the Kauaʻi Lifeguard Association has made in the past year. Says Kawakami about the visit that the Okinawan Lifeguards made to Kauaʻi: “The exchange of lifesaving knowledge and culture strengthens our ability to protect everyone enjoying Kaua‘i’s waters. Programs like this build international friendships and make our ocean safety efforts even more effective.”

Mayor Kawakami was our first interview for Deep Dive, so to have him back on the show reinforcing messaging as the key to water safety was an honor. Margaret and Anni also chatted about some of the notable interviews in the last year and a bit about what to expect in the year to come.

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