The Water Safety New Zealand Swim Safe Central Lakes region plan, which began in 2010 and is part of the wider Sealord Swim For Life initiative, offers children in years 1 to 8 Learn to Swim sessions.
The 10 sessions each last for 30 minutes and are led by professional instructors and include a river and lake component from professional instructors.
About 1300 children from Central Otago have already benefited, but more funding will enable another 2700 children from the Maniototo and Queenstown Lakes to take part.
The charitable organisation and seafood sponsor partnered both district councils plus KiwiSport, Central Lakes Trust, Sports Central, Maniototo Community Trust and Swimming New Zealand to offer the lessons for free in Central Otago, while lessons will be reduced to $1 per child per lesson in the Lakes district.
Water Safety NZ chief executive Matt Claridge, of Wellington, said yesterday the initiative aimed to target the decline in children's swimming ability by teaching swimming and survival skills.
It is hoped primary and intermediate school children in Central Lakes will work towards achieving the 200m and other water safety milestones and get involved in aquatic sports and activities.
''Already the initiative has improved the swimming skills of many of the region's children and these new funding partnerships mean we have the ability to make a difference to thousands more,'' Mr Claridge said.
''Swimming, boating and other aquatic activities are a favourite pastime for many families in the Central Lakes region.
''We want to ensure that the region's kids have the swim and survive skills necessary to continue to enjoy these activities safely.''
Remarkables Primary School principal Debbie Dickson said the swimming lessons were welcomed by the districts' schools. A total of 93 people died by drowning in New Zealand in 2012, the second-lowest annual toll on record and equal to 2006. The total last year was a 30% decrease on the 2011 toll of 132 deaths.
However, New Zealand's annual drowning toll continues to be one of the worst in the developed world.
