Five Million Voices

Should everyone on board a recreational boat 6 metres or less be required to wear a life jacket while the boat is underway?

This member's bill would require everyone on board a recreational craft of 6 metres or less to wear a life jacket while the craft is underway, replacing the current rule under which the skipper largely decides when life jackets are worn. As reported back from the Transport and Infrastructure Committee, the requirement was widened from children under 15 to everyone on board, and the committee recommends renaming the bill the Maritime Transport (Lifejackets on Recreational Craft) Amendment Bill. Existing maritime-rule exemptions are kept, and a new exemption is added for people who are actively swimming.

MPs’ arguments for and against the bill

Why support it
  • Supporters and the committee pointed to the evidence that most boating deaths are adults: since 2015, 161 people over 15 have died in recreational boating incidents against eight children under 15, so a universal wear rule targets where the risk actually is.
  • Supporters said capsizings, collisions and sudden weather leave no time to reach for a life jacket, citing accounts of adults who drowned without one while their life-jacketed children survived.
  • Supporters argued a single nationwide rule replaces inconsistent regional bylaws and permissive maritime rules, with backing from bodies such as Maritime New Zealand, Water Safety New Zealand and Coastguard.
Why oppose it
  • Opponents argued a universal mandate overrides personal and skipper judgement with a one-size-fits-all rule that can capture low-risk situations such as a still day in a shallow bay.
  • Opponents questioned how practical a blanket rule is on larger vessels and in situations like swimming or moving about on board, and pointed to the cost of new offences and enforcement for regional councils.
  • Opponents noted the expanded, all-ages scope was added as an out-of-scope amendment to what began as a narrower children's bill, and questioned whether that broad change had enough public mandate.

These are claims MPs made in Parliament’s debate — not verified facts.

Full bill summary & link to official bill page

The bill began as a rule requiring only those under 15 to wear a life jacket on recreational craft of 6 metres or less. During select committee, submitters and officials noted that children are not the main victims of recreational boating deaths: since 2015 there have been eight fatalities of children under 15 against 161 of people over 15. With permission from the Business Committee, the Transport and Infrastructure Committee took an out-of-scope amendment and reopened public submissions, then recommended a universal requirement: when a recreational craft 6 metres or less in length is underway, the person in charge must ensure everyone on board is wearing a properly fitted life jacket. The bill also switches the size test from waterline length to length overall, clarifies that the rule applies while the craft is underway rather than at all times, replaces the term personal flotation device with life jacket, and adds an exemption for people who are actively swimming (alongside existing Part 91 exemptions such as supervised events). Regional councils could align their navigation bylaws without full consultation, penalties would be created under the Maritime Offences Regulations, and the requirement would take effect 28 days after Royal assent. The committee recommends renaming the bill the Maritime Transport (Lifejackets on Recreational Craft) Amendment Bill to reflect that it no longer applies only to children and young people.

See the Parliament.nz ↗ site for the full bill.

Oppose (No) Support (Yes)

Maritime Transport (Lifejackets on Recreational Craft) Amendment Bill · First Reading, 22 Oct 2025
Parliament voted 106–11 — it passed.