Culturally-appropriate women-only pool sessions are providing multiple life-changing benefits for West Auckland women.

Since mid-2019 the Whau Local Board has funded a Community Waitākere Community Developer, Shalema Wanden-Hannay, to facilitate and support the strengthening of community in New Windsor. This work led to the creation of the New Windsor Community Hub, which is now a Charitable Trust. 

The Hub team identified the need for culturally appropriate women-only pool sessions and organised a session in the New Windsor Pool at the end of 2020.  This session was well attended and participants were very enthusiastic and keen for more opportunities. 

Shalema, a lifeguard, born and raised in the wild west coast waters at Karekare Beach, says she was  deeply moved and humbled by the experience of supporting women.

“A good number of the women had never been in a pool before, to immerse in the water and to float. I realised just how much I took for granted the opportunities I’ve had in my life to experience and form a bond with water.” 

Support and enthusiasm for this first event prompted the Hub team to apply for a Sport Waitākere Tu Mānawa Grant to help fund a series of women, youth, and children only water confidence and safety sessions in the New Windsor School pool over 2021 and 2022. Eighteen Muslim women attended an afternoon tea in the Hub to help plan these sessions.    

“The sessions were greatly over-subscribed. For cultural reasons many young women and women need to keep their bodies covered around men which radically limits opportunity for women to experience water activities,” explains Shalema.

When some funding became from available from The Community Trusts and Ethnic Affairs, Community Waitākere took the opportunity to propose a programme of women only swimming and water safety sessions, with the intention of simultaneously building a collaborative group of agencies to produce a programme that was ongoing. 

The Community Trusts and Ethnic Affairs were excited to fund the project, and Community Waitākere brought groups and agencies together, and the West Auckland Pool Collaboration Group was formed.  To date this group includes the New Settlers Family and Community Trust (NFACT), NZ Muslim Association (NZMA), New Windsor Community Hub, Belong Aotearoa, Community Waitākere, Whau Ethnic Collective, NZMA Avondale, Sport Waitākere, Drawing Prevention Auckland, NZMA Kelston, International Sisterhood, West Auckland Mosque Women’s Committee (WAMWC ), Islamic Women's Council of New Zealand (IWCNZ), and Anjuman-e-Saifee.

A driving force of these women-only sessions is the understanding that water is central to New Zealand culture, identity and life and that being able to experience water and having the confidence to take opportunities to recreate in water is critical to a sense of belonging and inclusion.

Shalema is passionate about women-only pool sessions as she sees the relationship between mothers and water as having a crucial impact on their children.

“This includes their children’s relationship to water, progress in school swimming lessons, and the likelihood that they will embrace the wonderful opportunities in New Zealand to enjoy and be safe in the water.”

Shalema has seen time and time again first-hand the need for water safety education, and believes mothers and women in families play a critical role in guiding their families and educating children and young people.  In November 2022 she played a key role in the rescue of two boys and their father, who were swept out while swimming after the patrol had finished at Karekare Beach.

“This experience was harrowing.  We successfully resuscitated the father and rescued the two boys, but it was so incredibly close, literally seconds counted.”

Shalema believes that all women should have the opportunity to develop water skills so they can stay calm in water-related emergencies and take appropriate action to help themselves and others.  She believes that the opportunity for women to have the experience of learning how to swim also gives mothers the ability to relate to their children's experiences learning how to swim and for women to find out if swimming might be a passion or life goal for themselves.

The demand for women-only swimming sessions is very high across all age groups and life stages and opportunities are scarce. Pool time is highly valued by seniors and water activities are frequently recommended to them by health professionals.

Fahima, from the New Migrant and Settlers Trust (NFACT) and a member of the West Auckland Pool Session Collaboration Group, observes that many refugees and migrants come from landlocked countries and have no experience of water and how to interact with it.  “Women-only pool sessions are enormously beneficial and contribute to good mental health, wellbeing, self-confidence, and help to create and strengthen social and support networks.”

The swimming sessions have now expanded and are running at Kelston Girls School, Massey High School and New Windsor School.

Article added: Monday 26 June 2023