Liz’s corner
Kia ora and welcome to the Term 4 2025 addition of our newsletter! 🌊
☀️ Summer’s Nearly Here — Let’s Stay Safe and Keep Swimming! 🌊
As we head into another beautiful Tauranga summer, there’s no better time to celebrate the water-loving lifestyle we’re so lucky to enjoy! From beach days at the Mount to backyard pool fun, being surrounded by water is part of who we are — and that’s why strong swimming and water safety skills are so important.
Now’s the perfect time to make sure your family feels confident in and around the water. Swimming lessons aren’t just about strokes and splashes — they’re about building life-saving skills, confidence, and a love for the water that lasts a lifetime.
As the year comes to an end, we want to say a huge thank you to all our amazing swimmers, families, and team members for making 2025 such a fantastic year. Your energy, commitment, and smiles have made every lesson a joy. We can’t wait to see what 2026 brings — more progress, more confidence, and more splashes! 💦
Cheers,
Liz
Getting to know……..
Greg Cummings
Greg grew up in the farming community of Waihi on a dairy farm in Waikino. The family had a pool in the front yard and grandparents living on the beach front at Waihi Beach. Both his mum and dad were good swimmers so being able to swim was a natural progression.
Life was centred around the beach, boating and competing in any number of sports. A deep love of surfing, being on and in the water, emphasized the freedom and value of being a confident swimmer. As Greg got older, he discovered a natural ability to run. This lent itself to cross-country events, and with swimming and a bike thrown in, triathlon became Greg’s interest through later teenage years and into his 20’s, completing the Auckland Ironman twice before common sense took over.
Greg’s working life began in teaching in Te Puke, before moving to Tauranga Intermediate. Throughout this time, he discovered a natural ability to communicate with learners. The studies in how people learn (pedagogy) from his teaching were applied in coaching and provided successes in Rugby and Volleyball, along with the many other sports in schools. Ongoing learning focused on learning preferences, behavioral traits, leadership and strategic planning, along with developing other coaches.
It all came together in a role at Sport Bay of Plenty in the early 2000s where Greg lead the Coach-Force unit, incorporating 17 sports with close to 40 full time coaching specialists. The individual sports held all the ‘what’ and ‘why’ knowledge of their sport. Greg’s role was to progress “how” this knowledge could be imparted to anyone playing the sport. This resulted in Greg working throughout New Zealand with Sport New Zealand, Hockey, Netball, Rugby League, Volleyball, and others, helping coaches and teachers to improve in their delivery, culture and leadership, along with planning and governance.
Greg and Liz “pooled” (excuse the pun) their experiences to have Greg’s coaching skills with Liz’s swimming knowledge, and Liz van Welie Swim School was born, in an industrial tin shed in Judea. Discovering that what they offered was what customers were looking for, soon required a bigger pool. Two years of design and financing, thanks to Greg’s parents leveraging the family farm and Kiwibank getting a deal across the line, Liz van Welie Aquatics opened on April 17th 2017. Greg established the club and created a new opportunity in Tauranga for swimmers to compete. The club is now often ranked inside the top 20 clubs in New Zealand.
The passion for people’s learning continues with Greg, supporting staff and the coaching team, to keep developing their ability to impart knowledge and skills, while driving the cultural framework of Hungry-Humble-Smart. He is incredibly proud of the way in which Liz van Welie Aquatics staff cater to individual needs in learning, the progress teachers make with young swimmers, and now the performance of our competitive squads.
If you ever want to understand our ‘Why’, simply stand at the end of learner pool and watch a parent and babies’ class. The share joy of learning to be in the water is life changing. To see someone who has started with us a baby, now competing nationally and internationally is an incredibly proud feeling of a great team doing their job well.
Making a Splash: Swim Success Story
A big shoutout to Ella De Vere
“Since Ella joined LVW, we’ve seen huge improvements in her swimming!
She used to find breaststroke and butterfly tricky — but with the amazing coaching from Greg and Summer, her technique has improved so much in just one term!
Ella now swims twice a week and is absolutely loving it!
Massive thanks to our awesome LVW team for helping her shine!”
Ka pai, Ella! Your hard work and dedication have paid off — those butterfly and breaststroke skills are looking awesome!
Thank you for sharing your journey with us
If you have a story you would love us to share please contact us via email.
Holiday Swimming Lessons
🏊♀️ Making a Splash these Summer Holiday! 🌞
Kids learn best by doing things again and again — and our Holiday Swimming Program is the perfect way for them to build skills fast while having heaps of fun!
With daily lessons, your child will make amazing progress in just one week — gaining confidence, improving fitness, and sharpening their swimming technique in a supportive, energetic environment.
✨ Program Highlights:
🏅 1-on-1 lessons for focused, personalised learning
⏱️ 20-minute sessions packed with fun and skill-building
💪 Fast improvement and technique development
🌊 A week of consistent lessons = big progress!
📅 Bookings open late November!
Spots always fill quickly, so don’t miss out. For more info, please contact us via email.
Teach with Purpose: Welcome to the team
Welcome to the Liz van Welie Aquatics Team with our new Learn to swim teachers for Term 4.
Left to Right above: Peppa, Ellie, Hailey and Mikkayla.
Click here to meet our whole team
Baby Corner
Amazing Baby Reflexes You Might See in the Pool!
Babies are born with a few special reflexes that make them surprisingly comfortable in the water — and you’ll often see these in action during baby swimming lessons! These natural instincts help your little one feel safe while exploring this new environment.
Here are a few you might notice:
🌬️ The Gag or Breath-Holding Reflex
When water touches your baby’s face, they instinctively hold their breath and close their airways — a built-in protection that helps keep water out of their lungs. This reflex usually fades around 6 months, which is why early swimming experiences are so valuable!
🦶 The Kicking Reflex
If your baby feels the water against their legs or feet, they may automatically start kicking! It’s their way of “testing out” movement in the water — and it’s the beginning of real swimming skills later on.
✋ The Grasp Reflex
Babies naturally curl their fingers around your hand or a toy in the water — helping them feel secure and supported while they explore new sensations.
🧠 The Startle (Moro) Reflex
Sometimes, when a baby feels a sudden splash or movement, they’ll spread their arms wide and then quickly draw them back in. It’s completely normal and just part of how they process new experiences.
🌊 The Diving Reflex (Bradycardic Response)
When your baby’s face is submerged, their body automatically slows their heart rate and redirects oxygen to vital organs — another built-in safety mechanism that makes gentle underwater activities possible in a controlled, supportive environment.
At Liz van Welie Aquatics, our instructors understand and work with these natural reflexes to help babies feel comfortable, confident, and safe in the water — right from the very first splash! 💦
To book your free trial or more information please contact us via email.
Did you know…….
Swimming: Not Just for the Pool — Great for the Classroom Too! 🏫✨
We all know swimming keeps kids safe in the water, but did you know it can also help them thrive in the classroom? That’s right — splashing around in lessons isn’t just fun, it’s brain-boosting too!
Here’s how swimming helps with learning at school:
💡 Boosts Concentration & Memory – Swimming gets the blood pumping to the brain, helping kids focus better and remember more.
💪 Builds Confidence – Learning new swimming skills gives children a sense of pride and achievement — confidence that carries straight into the classroom.
🌈 Reduces Stress & Anxiety – The water is a great place to unwind! Swimming helps kids feel calmer, happier, and ready to learn.
⏰ Encourages Discipline & Routine – Regular lessons teach patience, persistence, and the value of practice — all key ingredients for academic success.
🤝 Improves Social Skills – Teamwork, listening, and communication are all part of swimming lessons — and just as important at school!
At Liz van Welie Aquatics, we believe swimming is more than just a life skill — it’s a powerful tool that helps children grow, learn, and shine in every part of life. 🌟
Teacher of the term
A huge congratulations to Zara, our Teachers of the Term for Term 3!
She was selected based on glowing feedback from our swim families and thoughtful input from our supervisor team. This recognition is a true honor and reflects their outstanding dedication and passion for teaching.
Zara consistently demonstrate the qualities we value most in our instructors:
- Patience and clear communication
- Empathy and encouragement
- Strong knowledge of swimming techniques
- Adaptability and safety awareness
- Enthusiasm, creativity, and leadership
- A commitment to continuous learning
Thank you, Zara for making a real difference in the water and beyond — and thank you to our wonderful customers for your feedback!
Important Dates
Week 5 3rd – 9th November – Parent teacher interview week
Week 9 1st – 7th December – Re-enrolment for our current students same day/time
Week 10 8th December – Current students can change days and times for Term 1
Week 11 21st December – Enrolment for new/returning students opens online
12th January 2026 – Week 1 Holiday Program
19th January 2026 – Week 2 Holiday program
27th January 2026 – Week 3 Holiday program
Week 1 02nd February 2026 – Term 1 Starts
Follow us on:
Facebook link Learn to swim https://www.facebook.com/lvwss
Facebook link Club https://www.facebook.com/lvwaclub
Instagram link https://www.instagram.com/lvwaquatics/