Pool victim 'beautiful' one-year-old

Family and friends at the Manurewa house could only hug and cry together when told of the little...
Family and friends at the Manurewa house could only hug and cry together when told of the little girl's drowning, the eighth involving a preschooler this year. Photo NZ Herald
Family attending a Christmas get-together at an Auckland home arrived to find police cars outside after a young relative drowned in a swimming pool set up in the back garden.

The large family were grieving yesterday for the "happy, beautiful" 1-year-old girl.

Emergency services were called to the house on the quiet, no-exit Neems Place in Manurewa about 1pm.

A woman, believed to be the child's mother, could later be seen sitting on steps outside the house with her hands covering her face.

Family members, many of whom arrived at the property throughout the afternoon to offer support, slowly walked up the driveway arm-in-arm, hugged each other and cried.

A relative told the Herald that the dead girl was the youngest of five siblings and lived at the house.

Everybody was in shock, she said.

"We just turned up to give presents and stuff and saw all the police cars.

"It was pretty fresh, we must have come half an hour after the incident... it happened so fast... Christmas will never be the same, that's for sure."

A friend of the child's father said the temporary pool had only recently been purchased by the family.

The man said he had been at the home on Christmas morning and the accident happened after he had left: "I went home and got a phone call".

The little girl who died had a lovely, vibrant personality, he said.

"She was a beautiful little girl, happy as - always smiling every day."

Several police cars were parked in the street yesterday afternoon and detectives interviewed family members both at the property and in unmarked patrol cars.

Some neighbours were holding their own Christmas gatherings. The first sign of the accident was raised voices and sirens, a man said.

Police said the death was a tragic reminder for parents and caregivers that young children should be directly supervised by an adult when they were around water.

The child's death has been referred to the coroner.

Figures from Water Safety New Zealand show there has been an increase in drownings among preschoolers on last year.

Five died last year, compared with eight this year, including yesterday's death.

Eighty-five people have died so far this year, compared with 103 as at December 22 last year.

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Water toll

8 pre-school children have drowned this year

5 drowned last year

85 people have drowned overall this year

103 had died at the same time last year (as at December 22)

NZH lb

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