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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