A remit through Maritime NZ is now at Cabinet that calls for a change in the rules in respect of life jacket wearing on boats under 6m.
The remit that cabinet is considering is for all persons on a recreational boat that is less than 6m in length and is underway must be wearing a personal flotation device.
A new maritime law making life jackets mandatory for children on small boats may have to wait until after summer to be introduced. National MP Simon Watts is calling on cross-party support for his Bill to fast-track a law change that authorities say will save lives. More than 160 people have drowned off a vessel in the last decade.
“Of those individuals [who] drowned they had a life jacket on board but didn’t use it, 59 of those didn’t have a life jacket available,” Watts said
He has a Bill in the Members’ ballot to make wearing life jackets mandatory for under-15s on boats under 6m. Â Watts wants the Bill to be put in place before the summer season is over but needs cross-party support.
“I think that will make a significant difference to save lives in this country,” he said.
Throughout the year Water Safety New Zealand has asked the Government to consider a national standard. Associate Transport Minister Kieran McAnulty said “there is a paper under active consideration at a Cabinet-level”.
But there is no timeline with New Zealand currently having 17 separate regional bylaws for wearing life jackets.
“For a lot of people – especially on boats six metres or less – they don’t wear life jackets a lot of the time and that is really kind of one of our big pushes for people to wear life jackets on all vessels,” harbour master navigation safety officer John Kent said.
