1001 Smart Cities

Permanent project revision

Safeswim: Auckland's Modelled Beach Water-Quality Forecasts and Overflow Alerts

Revision 2026-10-15-baseline · effective 2026-10-15

Current revision. This is the snapshot used by the live entity page.

unreviewed

Created the first structured Evidence Passport with 17 claims and 9 source dossiers.

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All revisions → Current entity page →

Change set

  • add /evidencePassport — Added claim-level evidence mapping and source dossiers.
  • add /revisionHistory — Established a permanent, hash-addressed baseline revision.
17
of 17 claims mapped
9
source dossiers
4
publication dates recorded
0
archives linked
0
exact locators
0
content captures hashed

Claims, one by one

The text below is copied verbatim from the published record. Each claim names the source dossiers that carry it; caveats stay attached to the claim they qualify.

Claim 1 clm-c6b60c8342c5f6c7 descriptive
Safeswim is Auckland Council's public map of swimming risk.
Published field
snippet · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this file
What the mapping says
The programme describes itself as real-time information on water quality and swimming conditions at popular swimming locations, and its disclaimer names Auckland Council as the body providing the information with its partners.
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. Safeswim — About Safeswim
Claim 2 clm-0dc786058699c0de quantitative
For two decades it published weekly samples that took up to 48 hours to analyse
Published field
snippet · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this file
What the mapping says
The programme team's paper says Auckland Council had assessed beach water quality through Safeswim for over 20 years, primarily with weekly monitoring and laboratory analysis taking up to 48 hours; the FAQ repeats the weekly cadence and the 48-hour analysis time.
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. Water New Zealand — Safeswim: a sea change in assessing beach water quality risk (2018 Stormwater Conference)
  2. Safeswim — Frequently asked questions
Claim 3 clm-ef41a4b42961a6b8 quantitative
after an independent review commissioned in October 2016, the council rebuilt it in November 2017 around models that predict faecal bacteria from rainfall, wind and tide
Published field
snippet · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this file
What the mapping says
The paper dates the independent review to October 2016 and the switch to a model-based programme to November 2017; Newsroom reported the council's approval with a 1 November 2017 launch; the FAQ lists rainfall, tide, wind and sunlight data as model inputs.
Caveat
The paper's authors are the programme team, including the consultants who worked on the upgrade; the review itself is not published as a separate document in our sources.

Sources carrying this claim

  1. Water New Zealand — Safeswim: a sea change in assessing beach water quality risk (2018 Stormwater Conference)
  2. Newsroom — Swimming in a contaminant soup (12 Sep 2017)
  3. Safeswim — Frequently asked questions
Claim 4 clm-d1fb98df92c8e516 quantitative
Each site shows a green or red pin, updated at least every 15 minutes
Published field
snippet · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this file
What the mapping says
The programme page states that a green or red pin is shown depending on whether predicted water quality meets the New Zealand guideline values, and that predictions are updated at least every 15 minutes.
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. Safeswim — About Safeswim
Claim 5 clm-f46e947c31fd1094 quantitative
when a sensor on Watercare's wastewater network detects an overflow, the nearby beach turns black for 48 hours
Published field
snippet · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this file
What the mapping says
The FAQ says Auckland Council integrates Watercare's overflow sensors, and that a detected overflow automatically overrides the model at the associated beach with a temporary black pin for 48 hours.
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. Safeswim — Frequently asked questions
Claim 6 clm-38551031211791b5 quantitative
By the 2025/26 summer it covered 163 sites, and it now also serves Northland.
Published field
snippet · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this file
What the mapping says
The council's December 2025 announcement says 16 new sites bring the total to 163 beaches, lagoons, streams and lakes; the FAQ says forecasts cover the Auckland and Northland regions. The announcement page could not be read directly; the sentence was confirmed in a search rendering.
Caveat
Site counts have changed every season (84 beaches and 8 freshwater sites at launch, about 147 in December 2024).

Sources carrying this claim

  1. OurAuckland (Auckland Council) — Safeswim rolls out expanded beach and water-quality coverage for summer (Dec 2025)
  2. Safeswim — Frequently asked questions
Claim 7 clm-820679668647671f descriptive
Safeswim says neither councils nor Surf Life Saving New Zealand have the authority to close beaches.
Published field
snippet · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this file
What the mapping says
Answering 'Does Safeswim close beaches?', the FAQ says neither councils nor Surf Life Saving New Zealand have that authority and that Safeswim provides information so people can make informed choices.
Caveat
Press reports have nonetheless described beaches as 'closed' (The Spinoff, 2018); see the contradiction noted with the sources.

Sources carrying this claim

  1. Safeswim — Frequently asked questions
Claim 8 clm-3ac7ff15f8358fb4 quantitative
it classified 43 of 64 samples correctly (67%), against 7 of 64 (11%) for the old weekly monitoring, and detected 39 of 54 guideline exceedances, against 2 of 54; 16 of its 64 results were still false negatives
Published field
impact · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this file
What the mapping says
Table 4 of the paper compares model forecasts and weekly monitoring with targeted sampling at eight beaches across four rain events between 8 March and 5 April 2017.
Caveat
A test by the programme's own team, over 64 samples in one month; the figures are in a table of the PDF.

Sources carrying this claim

  1. Water New Zealand — Safeswim: a sea change in assessing beach water quality risk (2018 Stormwater Conference)
Claim 9 clm-6de313db8241ef4d quantitative
weekly monitoring at Red Beach found 1 exceedance in 330 samples over 22 years, while targeted sampling found 4 in a single day after 6 mm of rain in November 2017
Published field
impact · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this file
What the mapping says
The paper gives this example of how weekly monitoring underestimated contamination events.
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. Water New Zealand — Safeswim: a sea change in assessing beach water quality risk (2018 Stormwater Conference)
Claim 10 clm-df8e93c1d5ae4204 quantitative
Safeswim puts its own accuracy at 85–93% since 2019, and its December 2025 announcement gave the previous summer 93%, with Auckland beaches suitable for swimming 84.5 per cent of the time
Published field
impact · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this file
What the mapping says
The FAQ defines accuracy as agreement between a sample's risk class and the pin shown at the same time and place, assessed each year and 'overseen independently'; the December 2025 announcement reports 93% and 84.5% for the previous summer.
Caveat
Operator self-report; no published audit of the accuracy figures was located. The December 2025 figures were confirmed through a search rendering of the announcement.

Sources carrying this claim

  1. Safeswim — Frequently asked questions
  2. OurAuckland (Auckland Council) — Safeswim rolls out expanded beach and water-quality coverage for summer (Dec 2025)
Claim 11 clm-d52fdfe596991fdd quantitative
in December 2021 long-term warnings at Titirangi, Wairau Outlet and Piha North Lagoon were lifted, and the mayor credited the Safe Networks programme of Auckland Council and Watercare, funded by the Water Quality Targeted Rate, with resolving the contamination at Titirangi and Wairau Outlet "alongside further SafeSwim monitoring"
Published field
impact · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this file
What the mapping says
1News reports the three warnings lifted and quotes the mayor's statement crediting the targeted-rate-funded Safe Networks programme together with further SafeSwim monitoring.
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. 1News — Auckland beaches get years-long swim safety warnings removed (Dec 2021)
Claim 12 clm-f918bbb65af17529 quantitative
The investigative phase at Titirangi alone cost about $250,000, before repairs.
Published field
impact · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this file
What the mapping says
The Safeswim programme manager told 1News that discrete costs across Auckland Council and Watercare for the Titirangi investigative phase were about $250,000, excluding repairs.
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. 1News — Auckland beaches get years-long swim safety warnings removed (Dec 2021)
Claim 13 clm-a6d3384165060fe8 descriptive
No source measures whether the forecasts changed who swims or reduced illness.
Published field
impact · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this file
What the mapping says
Newsroom reported at approval that the scheme 'will not result in instant improvements in water quality'; the programme's own pages describe information for informed choices and do not report any measured change in swimming behaviour or illness.
Caveat
A statement about the absence of evidence in the sources located, not a finding that there was no effect.

Sources carrying this claim

  1. Newsroom — Swimming in a contaminant soup (12 Sep 2017)
  2. Safeswim — Frequently asked questions
Claim 14 clm-86cb25c1926dbb3a descriptive
Safeswim's models exposed contamination that weekly sampling had missed for decades
Published field
lesson · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this file
What the mapping says
The programme team concluded that weekly monitoring had consistently underestimated the frequency of contamination events and gave a false sense of security.
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. Water New Zealand — Safeswim: a sea change in assessing beach water quality risk (2018 Stormwater Conference)
Claim 15 clm-4dd0e35d2458b5b1 descriptive
with no power to close a beach the consequence has to come from elsewhere: from pipe investigations and repairs, paid for by a separate rate, that lift warnings one beach at a time
Published field
lesson · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this file
What the mapping says
The FAQ rules out closures; 1News describes the Safe Networks investigations (water and network testing, smoke and dye testing, property inspections) funded by the Water Quality Targeted Rate, after which individual long-term warnings were lifted.
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. Safeswim — Frequently asked questions
  2. 1News — Auckland beaches get years-long swim safety warnings removed (Dec 2021)
Claim 16 clm-000c79a725ca25b8 descriptive
national bathing-water statistics leave the region out, because Auckland does not supply its sampling results to the national dataset and predicted data and field measurements are not comparable
Published field
lesson · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this file
What the mapping says
The March 2026 national factsheet excludes Auckland from all its analyses because the region does not supply sampling results to LAWA and field measurements and predicted data are not comparable.
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. Environmental Health Intelligence NZ (Massey University) — Faecal indicator bacteria at recreational bathing sites (March 2026)
Claim 17 clm-b0e44b48aacd66de quantitative
in December 2024 the mayor dismissed a red pin on the new harbour pool he had opened a week earlier as computer modelling "which can mean anything"
Published field
lesson · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this file
What the mapping says
Newstalk ZB reports the second red pin at the Karanga Plaza pool, which the mayor had opened seven days earlier, and quotes him saying Safeswim is based on computer modelling 'which can mean anything'; the council replied that sampling results take about 48 hours.
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. Newstalk ZB — Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown kicks up a stink after waterfront pool declared unsafe for swimming (27 Dec 2024)

Source dossiers and revision state

This layer records what is known about each source, what is still missing, and the exact snapshot this page is rendering. A missing date, archive or hash stays visible as missing.

unreviewed Revision 2026-10-15-baseline effective 2026-10-15 · created 2026-10-15

Awaiting operator and domain-expert review; publication of this revision implies neither.

sha256:67f5d89cefa7bf39420b6d41c50ee6d38a2e6d0bf2bb79a6da75c57d8599a442
Revision history → Permanent version link → Machine-readable record → Evidence Constitution →
17
of 17 claims mapped
9
source dossiers
4
publication dates recorded
0
archives linked
0
exact locators
0
content captures hashed

Governance facts carried by the record

Operator
Auckland Council (Healthy Waters and Flood Resilience), with Watercare's overflow sensors, Surf Life Saving New Zealand and health partners; water-quality models by DHI
Actor types
city-government, utility, regional-government, civil-society
Funding model
public
Funding description
Auckland Council; overflow sensors on Watercare's wastewater network; remediation through the Water Quality Targeted Rate. No programme budget located.
Cost
Not recorded
Ownership
Not recorded
Decision rights
Not recorded
Exit conditions
Not recorded

9 source dossiers

Safeswim — Frequently asked questions safeswim.org.nz · 8 linked claims

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-c9860cc630991d7a
Publisher
Name not classified · safeswim.org.nz
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
Not recorded
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-10-15
Dossier created
2026-10-15
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

The programme's own FAQ (2026 edition, which ranks the 2025/26 season). States that water quality is updated every 15 minutes from sampling, real-time rainfall, tide, wind and sunlight data and models; that an overflow sensor on Watercare's wastewater network automatically overrides the model with a black pin for 48 hours; that 'Neither Councils nor Surf Life Saving New Zealand have the authority to close beaches'; that accuracy, checked against sampling and 'overseen independently', has been 85–93% since 2019; and that forecasts cover only the Auckland and Northland regions.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
Safeswim — About Safeswim safeswim.org.nz · 2 linked claims

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-7213e7fdd89e36ee
Publisher
Name not classified · safeswim.org.nz
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
Not recorded
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-10-15
Dossier created
2026-10-15
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

The programme's standing description: green pin (low risk) or red pin (high risk) depending on whether predicted water quality meets New Zealand guideline values, a black pin when a wastewater overflow is detected, predictions updated at least every 15 minutes from rainfall, wind and other data, and manual overrides by operational staff.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
Water New Zealand — Safeswim: a sea change in assessing beach water quality risk (2018 Stormwater Conference) waternz.org.nz · 5 linked claims

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-6dec4e89b2f01528
Publisher
Name not classified · waternz.org.nz
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
Not recorded
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-10-15
Dossier created
2026-10-15
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

Conference paper by the programme team (Martin Neale and Andrew Schollum of Puhoi Stour, Kris Fordham of Civix, Nick Brown of Auckland Council). Records the October 2016 independent review, the February 2017 committee decision, the November 2017 switch to modelling, the DHI model built 2014–2016, the pre-launch comparison (model 43 of 64 correct, monitoring 7 of 64; 39 of 54 exceedances detected against 2; 16 false negatives), and Red Beach's 1 exceedance in 330 samples over 22 years against 4 in one day after 6 mm of rain.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
Newsroom — Swimming in a contaminant soup (12 Sep 2017) newsroom.co.nz · 2 linked claims

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-194213a00a8af691
Publisher
Name not classified · newsroom.co.nz
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
2017-09-12
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-10-15
Dossier created
2026-10-15
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

Reports the council committee's approval of the new Safeswim scheme, to launch on 1 November 2017; quotes the mayor that the public will be shocked by the figures and 'will demand to know what we are doing about it', and the committee chair that 'we are being more transparent'; states the scheme 'will not result in instant improvements in water quality'.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
The Spinoff — Cheat Sheet: How safe is it to swim at Auckland’s beaches? (16 Feb 2018) thespinoff.co.nz · background

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-a409097172ba65c9
Publisher
Name not classified · thespinoff.co.nz
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
2018-02-16
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-10-15
Dossier created
2026-10-15
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

Explainer after February 2018 storms: the Safeswim website, a partnership including Auckland Council and Watercare, launched in November with a three-level alert system covering 84 beaches and 8 freshwater locations; also says Milford Beach 'has been closed at least three times since Christmas'.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
Background source; no baseline claim points here
1News — Auckland beaches get years-long swim safety warnings removed (Dec 2021) 1news.co.nz · 3 linked claims

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-02abc77da979cff7
Publisher
Name not classified · 1news.co.nz
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
2021-12-02
Updated
2021-12-03
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-10-15
Dossier created
2026-10-15
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

Reports that long-term warnings at Titirangi, Wairau Outlet and Piha North Lagoon were lifted; quotes the mayor crediting the Safe Networks programme, funded by the Water Quality Targeted Rate, 'alongside further SafeSwim monitoring', and the Safeswim programme manager putting the Titirangi investigative phase at about $250,000, excluding repairs.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
Newstalk ZB — Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown kicks up a stink after waterfront pool declared unsafe for swimming (27 Dec 2024) newstalkzb.co.nz · 1 linked claim

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-58644bc3565dc22c
Publisher
Name not classified · newstalkzb.co.nz
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
2024-12-27
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-10-15
Dossier created
2026-10-15
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

Reports a second red pin at the new $500,000 Karanga Plaza pool days after the mayor opened it, the mayor's remark that Safeswim is based on computer modelling 'which can mean anything', and the council's reply that sampling results take about 48 hours while water quality changes faster.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
OurAuckland (Auckland Council) — Safeswim rolls out expanded beach and water-quality coverage for summer (Dec 2025) ourauckland.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz · 2 linked claims

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-5330aa3ada9d9aac
Publisher
Name not classified · ourauckland.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
Not recorded
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-10-15
Dossier created
2026-10-15
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

Council announcement for the 2025/26 summer: 16 new sites bring the total to 163 beaches, lagoons, streams and lakes with water-quality data; last summer Auckland beaches were suitable for swimming 84.5 per cent of the time and Safeswim achieved 93 per cent accuracy, its highest to date.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
Environmental Health Intelligence NZ (Massey University) — Faecal indicator bacteria at recreational bathing sites (March 2026) ehinz.ac.nz · 1 linked claim

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-a407985c218f89ca
Publisher
Name not classified · ehinz.ac.nz
Type / language
pdf · language not classified
Published
Not recorded
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-10-15
Dossier created
2026-10-15
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

National surveillance factsheet by Massey University's Environmental Health Intelligence programme. States that the Auckland region is excluded from the national recreational-bathing analysis because it does not supply water quality sampling results to LAWA and 'field measurements and predicted data are not comparable'.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
Known limits of this file
  • Publisher names and source languages have not yet been classified; domains are recorded without guessing.
  • Existing source notes are descriptive locators, not page- or paragraph-exact citations.
  • A missing archive, publication date or content hash is shown as null rather than inferred.
  • The project-level evidence grade ranks the strongest source in the entry; it is not a truth score for every claim.