As a result of a Plunket submission to the council's annual plan, up to 10 children per term for the next four school terms, aged from 4 months to 3 years, will be given free pool lessons valued at about $80 each.
Plunket Parents as First Teachers educator Sue Dundass said the subsidy was an important win for children of the area.
"When people have limited funds it's not a priority to give kids a swimming lesson.
"It's about the children, it's not about the parents, and why should a child be marginalised because of their parents' access to money?''
She said teaching these children to swim was about more than pushing safety around water messages.
It was about giving them access to the same opportunities as their peers, she said.
Waitaki Aquatic Centre manager Matthew Lanyon said the subsidy scheme fitted with council's objective of having every child in the area able to swim 200m by the time they were 8 years old.
Mr Lanyon said council approved the scheme within the past two weeks.
Children aged between 4 months and 3 years old, whose parents were involved with Plunket, were eligible for the scheme.
Waitaki Aquatic Centre learn to swim co-ordinator Kerry Holland said opening up swim lessons to possibly 10 children each school term
gave pupils a chance to acquire a skill their parents might not have prioritised due to their own fear of water.
"They might have had a bad experience as well and they might project that on their families.''
The first allotment of children was due to be selected by July 25.
