There’s a spike in the number of people dying in our rivers, with Waikato experiencing a 55 percent rise.

Water Safety New Zealand’s annual figures for last year shows 81 drownings.

30 percent of those were people dying in our rivers, which is a 60 percent spike on the five year average.

Chief executive Jonty Mills says more than three quarters of all drowning in our waters were male.

“Men tend to overestimate their abilities and underestimate the risk when it comes to water.”

– NewstalkZB