‘‘One moment I was a little kid making something to eat — the next, I was screaming and running for my life.’’
Because he was only 5 at the time, he had no knowledge of things like stop, drop and roll.
He was rushed by ambulance to Dunedin Hospital, but his burns were so severe, he was flown to the National Burns Unit in Auckland, where he was placed in an induced coma for three weeks while his body tried to heal.
Since then, he has had 60-70 operations, and there are still more to come for the now 22-year-old.
‘‘Burns happen in a moment, but the consequences can last a lifetime. I know that because I’ve lived it,’’ he said.
‘‘The physical pain has been immense, but the mental side has had its own challenges.
‘‘If my story does anything, I hope it reminds people how quickly a burn injury can happen, and how important prevention is, especially around children.
‘‘Hot elements, hot water, hot drinks, heaters, electric blankets and hot water bottles might seem ordinary, but they can change a life in seconds.’’
They are among more than 20,000 nationwide, costing more than $40m in 2025.
ACC injury prevention leader James Whitaker said the most ‘‘alarming’’ thing about the statistics was the number of young children among them.
The age group with the highest number of burns-related injuries was 0-4 years (2570), ahead of 35-39 (1495) and 30-34 (1476).
‘‘It is a real concern to see very young kids aged 0-4 years, are most likely to sustain a burns-related injury.
‘‘We know that when children experience bad burns, it can affect them throughout their lives.’’
The most common area of the body impacted by a burns related injury were hands or wrists (5840), lower leg (3224) and upper and lower arm (2740).
As part of New Zealand Burns Awareness Month (June), Mr Whitaker said it was a timely reminder to take more care this winter — particularly when it came to keeping children safe.
He said the two most common causes of burns in the home were hot water bottles and hot drinks.
‘‘Every winter, staff in New Zealand's emergency rooms help hundreds of New Zealanders who are badly burnt by hot water bottles or by having scolding hot drinks poured on them.’’
He urged parents to always keep hot drinks well out of the reach of young children, and keep children seated and still if they were having a hot drink.
‘‘For things like a hot water bottle, make sure the water is not boiling hot and that the lid is well screwed on.
‘‘Use it to warm the bed, then remove before the person gets into bed, or cover the bottle in a towel before they get in.
‘‘For a hot bath, make sure the water is warm and not too hot before the kids get into the bath.
‘‘Kids love to play with the taps, so make sure they don’t turn on the hot tap and scald themselves.’’
Mr Whitaker said it was always a busy time around dinner time, and the kitchen could be a dangerous place for children, too.
‘‘When the oven and stovetop are on, make sure they are always attended and that it’s not possible for children to pull boiling water down on themselves.
‘‘The more we can be present in those moments, the more we can prevent burns injuries from happening in the first place.’’
If you do sustain a burn injury, put it under cool running water for 20 minutes.
