New Zealand lifejacket rule takes effect as kayakers question training impact

New Zealand’s national lifejacket rule took effect on 9 October 2026, requiring everyone on a recreational craft six metres or less to wear a properly fitted lifejacket while underway. It covers kayaks and other small craft across the country, bringing a common requirement to waters where regional rules previously differed. Some competitive paddlers say wearing a lifejacket during long training sessions may cause discomfort, while safety officials say the change addresses a persistent drowning risk.

Which craft and trips the lifejacket rule covers

Maritime New Zealand says the requirement applies to motorboats, dinghies, sailboats, kayaks, paddleboards and jet skis, subject to existing exceptions. Its rule guide defines a craft as underway when it is on the water and is not at anchor, attached to a dock, aground or attached to shore. The six-metre threshold includes craft measuring exactly six metres; the agency’s guide says length is measured from bow to stern using the boat’s permanent structure.

The new requirement sits alongside existing rules. Recreational craft must carry enough appropriately sized lifejackets for everyone aboard. People must wear them in heightened-risk situations, including when being towed for activities such as water skiing or wakeboarding, and skippers remain responsible for the safety of those on board. Maritime New Zealand says an approved lifejacket must meet New Zealand Standard NZS 5823 or an accepted international standard; its guide does not prescribe one type for every situation.

Why officials say the change matters

Maritime New Zealand says an average of 17 people die each year in recreational-craft incidents and that around two-thirds of those who die were not wearing properly fitted lifejackets. Those figures describe past incidents; they do not measure the effect of the rule that began on 9 October. Safer Boating Forum chair Sharyn Forsyth said the forum wants wearing a properly fitted lifejacket to become a normal part of every trip on a small craft.

Why some kayakers object to wearing lifejackets in training

Retired canoeist and four-time Olympic gold medalist Ian Ferguson told RNZ that a lifejacket could be uncomfortable for experienced kayakers training for hours in hot weather. He said the repetitive arm and body movement involved in paddling could cause rashes. His concern is about the practical effect on training; the cited reporting does not establish that the new requirement has already reduced athletes’ training or performance.

Ferguson also questioned the scope of the sporting exception. RNZ reported that people training for an approved sporting event can be excluded, but Ferguson considered that carve-out too narrow. He floated a timed 400-metre swimming test as a way to distinguish experienced athletes. It was his suggestion, not an announced Maritime New Zealand policy. The agency’s guide separately describes exclusions for sporting events approved by its director and says certain supervised training events with a support vessel may also qualify.

Steve Cooper, president of the Kiwi Association of Sea Kayakers and a member of the Safer Boating Forum, offered a different view to RNZ. He said the national rule resolves confusion caused by varying regional requirements. Cooper said he did not believe a correctly fitted, appropriately designed lifejacket should necessarily restrict athletes, and argued that a person who falls into the water needs help staying afloat. The contrasting views leave the training impact an open practical question rather than an established consequence of the rule.

How sporting exceptions and enforcement may work

Maritime New Zealand adviser Matt Wood told RNZ that national sporting organisations can seek approval for an activity by showing an equivalent level of safety. Athletes covered by an approved activity would not have to wear lifejackets for it, he said. The cited material does not establish whether any organisation has applied or received approval. The agency’s guide also says an existing exemption for stand-up paddleboard surfing, granted in 2022, remains in place; that exemption does not cover every use of a paddleboard.

The rule is in force, but Maritime New Zealand’s guide says the specific national offences and penalties for the new requirement had yet to be created. Its announcement says education will be the initial compliance approach. For people heading onto the water, the agency advises checking that everyone has a correctly fitted lifejacket, carrying two waterproof ways to call for help and checking the marine weather forecast. How many sporting activities receive approval, and whether the new requirement changes training or drowning outcomes, cannot yet be determined from the published accounts.