Toddler drowns in gardens pond

Thirty seconds. That was the time three adults took their eyes off Nelson toddler Zachary Micheal Kennedy, who drowned in the pond in Queen's Gardens on Friday morning.

''They must have turned their back for about 30 seconds and he was gone,'' Zachary's grandmother said.
His grandmother said the family wanted to make it clear he was being supervised closely when he went missing.

Zachary, 21 months, was in the park playing with his grandfather, mother, his aunt's partner, and two other young boys including his brother Oakley, 3 and another young boy.

His grandmother said the adults' attention was diverted watching the two older boys, and that Zachary ''must've gone off at an angle to the pond''.

They believed Zachary would have floated across the pond because he was found opposite where he went missing, she said.

Zachary was found by members of the public about 11.35am.

Zachary's grandmother said Zachary was always happy, always smiling and had a lovely sense of humour. He was ''quite fearless'', she said.

Zachary's aunt's partner who was with the boys is a nursing student and tried his best to help Zachary before the ambulance arrived, she said.

Zachary's death comes just days after Gisborne four-year-old Lucas Ward was buried in Ruatoria. His body was found in the Waimata River on August 26, 10 days after he went missing from his grandmother's home.

Sergeant David Lauer, of Nelson police, said police were called at 11.30am and Zachary's body was found a short time later. Attempts to revive him at the scene were unsuccessful.

Mr Lauer said it was thought Zachary had been missing for 15 minutes before  he was found. There are no suspicious circumstances and his death has been referred to the coroner.

Police said Zachary was found floating in water about 40 centimetres deep at a spot about 20 metres from the white bridge in the gardens and opposite the water wheel.

St John Ambulance team manager Gary Tobin said everything possible was done, but there was never any sign of Zachary returning to life.

''After about 30 to 40 minutes there was nothing left that could be done.''

Rebekah Weatherall, 21, and Joshua Holden, 20, were sitting in the rose garden area near the fountain in the park yesterday morning when they were approached by a man looking for Zachary.

Five minutes later they heard someone call out that they needed an ambulance. Mr Holden said they ran over to where the yelling was coming from and saw the boy limp on the ground.

Ms Weatherall said she comforted Zachary's mother who was ''beside herself'', blaming herself for what had happened and saying she should have kept an eye out and been watching him.''She was broken,'' Mr Holden said. Mr Weatherall and Mr Holden were very distressed at what they had seen.

''It's not a natural thing to see, it's messed with both our heads,'' Mr Holden said. ''All I can say is I wished I'd looked.'' their life.

 It would have been easier to deal with if the victim was an adult. ''It's horrid,'' she said.- with NZPA

- © Fairfax NZ News