A new survey has dealt a blow to the hardy reputation of Kiwis, finding few of us swim in fresh water, and the main reason is it's too cold.
A poll of 1100 New Zealanders commissioned by the Swim Fresh campaign in December 2017 found 62 per cent of respondents had not swum once in fresh water in the past year.
Of those water-averse respondents, the most cited reason for not swimming was the water is too cold, at 32 per cent.
However, despite the serious concerns Swim Fresh has that Kiwis "have gone soft", campaign boss Mark Blackham said it was heartening to see 79 per cent of respondents had at least visited a river or lake in the past year.
"What we see in the data is that the more often you visit our fresh waterways, the more you care about them, and the more likely you are to go for a swim," Mr Blackham said.
The next most cited reasons for not swimming in fresh water in the Horizon poll were concern about water quality, at 29 per cent, and the thought of swimming in rivers being "not even a thing they consider", at 24 per cent.
The poll also found the more often Kiwis visit waterways, the more likely they are to swim, equating about three swims for every 10 visits.
Yet Swim Fresh found those who visit waterways are also more likely to profess concern about quality as a reason for not swimming.
Swim Fresh is a not for profit campaign staffed by students at Massey University Wellington School of Communication, Journalism, and Marketing.
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