Why Lifejackets Decide Who Comes Home
Why does one boatie survive a capsize while another doesn't, when both were on the same size boat in the same conditions? In nearly every fatal accident Maritime NZ has investigated, the answer comes down to one thing: whether a lifejacket was actually being worn when the boat went over.
A six-year review of recreational boating fatalities between 2015 and 2020 looked at 92 accidents that claimed 98 lives. Thirty-five of those people died after falling overboard from a vessel that stayed upright and floating. Maritime NZ's own assessment was blunt: those deaths were likely preventable if the person had been wearing a lifejacket at the time.
That pattern hasn't gone away. Coastguard's most recent evidence to Parliament shows that in 2024, 20 people died in recreational craft incidents, and 18 of them weren't wearing a lifejacket. Most accidents happen suddenly, close to shore, and with no warning. There usually isn't time to grab a lifejacket once things go wrong, and putting one on while you're already in the water is far harder than it sounds.
Who Is Most at Risk
The stereotype of the reckless young jet skier doesn't hold up against the data. Men over 40 are consistently over-represented in recreational boating fatalities, and most incidents happen within a few hundred metres of shore, not out in open water where boaties tend to be more cautious. Complacency close to home, not remoteness, is the real hazard.
None of this is about scaring people off the water. It's about being honest that a lifejacket sitting in a locker does nothing for you. Worn, it's the single biggest factor in whether you're picked up alive.
What NZ Law Actually Requires in 2026
Is wearing a lifejacket actually the law in New Zealand, or just strongly recommended? The honest answer is: it depends on your boat, your region, and what happens with a Bill currently before Parliament.
Maritime Rule Part 91 sets the national baseline. As skipper, you're legally required to carry a correctly sized, serviceable lifejacket for every person on board. You're also required to make sure lifejackets are worn whenever there's heightened risk, such as crossing a bar, in rough water, during an emergency, or when carrying a non-swimmer. Outside of those situations, carrying is compulsory but wearing isn't, at the national level, unless your regional council's bylaw says otherwise.
The Bill That Could Change the National Rule
The Life Jackets for Children and Young Persons Bill started out narrower than its name now suggests. As introduced, it aimed to make lifejackets compulsory for everyone under 15. Coastguard and Water Safety NZ pushed back, pointing out that adults, not children, are the ones dying. The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has since been considering an amendment to extend mandatory wearing to everyone on board vessels 6 metres and under, whenever the vessel is underway. Public submissions on that amendment closed on 15 April 2026, and the final shape of the rule is still being worked through.
Coastguard and Water Safety NZ have both argued that a 6 metre cut-off is arbitrary, since a large share of fatal accidents involve boats between 6 and 15 metres used for fishing and family boating. Whatever the final wording, the direction of travel is clear: New Zealand is moving toward a behaviour-based rule where lifejackets are worn, not just carried.
Bay of Plenty's Rules: Stricter Than the National Minimum
If you boat in the Bay of Plenty, the debate happening in Wellington is already settled for you. Bay of Plenty Regional Council updated its navigation bylaw to require lifejackets to be worn at all times on vessels 6 metres or under, not just when the skipper judges the risk to be high. TairΔwhiti made a similar change around the same time.
Water Safety New Zealand backed the move at the time, noting that a high proportion of that year's craft-related fatalities nationally involved someone not wearing a lifejacket. The reasoning behind the Bay of Plenty bylaw is the same reasoning now driving the national conversation: skipper discretion sounds sensible in theory, but in practice, most people who die weren't given any warning that the risk had changed.
For anyone trailering a boat between regions, this matters. A rule you're used to treating as optional in one harbour may be compulsory the moment you launch in Tauranga Harbour, Εhiwa, or anywhere else along the Bay of Plenty coast.
Practical Takeaway for Bay of Plenty Boaties
- If your vessel is 6 metres or under, treat wearing a lifejacket as compulsory, not optional, every time you're underway.
- Don't assume a bylaw from another region applies here, or that ours applies elsewhere.
- Brief anyone joining you on the boat, including visitors and kids, before you leave the dock, not once you're underway.
Choosing the Right Lifejacket: Types, Standards and Fit
Walk into any marine retailer and the wall of lifejackets looks the same at a glance. It isn't. The right choice depends on the boating you actually do, not the cheapest option on the shelf.
Lifejackets sold or used in New Zealand should meet New Zealand Standard NZS 5823:2005, which you'll usually find stamped inside the jacket. Maritime NZ also accepts other national and international standards that substantially comply, including the Australian AS/NZS 4758 rating system. If a jacket doesn't carry a recognised standard, don't rely on it, no matter how new or comfortable it looks.
| Lifejacket Type | Best Suited To | What to Know |
|---|---|---|
| Foam (buoyancy vest) | General boating, fishing, day trips | No servicing needed, but bulkier to wear all day. Comfortable enough for continuous wear on smaller craft. |
| Inflatable (manual) | Offshore fishing, launches, commercial crew | Compact and comfortable for long shifts. Needs annual self-checks and periodic professional servicing. |
| Inflatable (auto) | Solo boating, lone worker on the water | Inflates automatically on immersion, which matters if you're knocked unconscious. Higher cost, same servicing needs as manual. |
| Specialist (kayak, PWC) | Kayaking, jet skiing, watersports | Designed for freedom of movement rather than all-day comfort at rest. Must still meet an accepted standard. |
Getting the Fit Right
A lifejacket that's the wrong size is only marginally better than no lifejacket at all, because it can ride up over the head or fail to keep an unconscious person's face clear of the water. Coastguard's fit test is simple: with the jacket done up and arms raised, no more than two to three finger-widths should fit under the shoulder strap. If it slides past your chin when lifted, it's too big.
Crotch straps are worth taking seriously rather than treating as an optional extra. They're mandatory on every child-sized lifejacket in New Zealand, and strongly recommended for adults in anything other than flat calm water, since they're what stops the jacket riding up when you actually need it.
Looking After Your Lifejacket, and Knowing When to Retire It
A lifejacket sitting in a damp locker for ten years isn't the safety net most boaties assume it is. Foam degrades, straps weaken, and inflation mechanisms corrode, often with no visible sign from the outside.
Maritime NZ's guidance is straightforward: check your lifejacket even if it looks fine, and replace it once it's over 10 years old, sooner if it's been heavily used or poorly stored. Before every season, run through a basic check:
- Pull the straps hard. If anything stretches or tears, retire the jacket immediately.
- Check the fabric. Look for cuts, punctures, sun damage or brittle material, especially around seams.
- Test that it floats. If you're not sure, ask a lifejacket service centre or the manufacturer.
- For inflatables, check the cylinder. Look for corrosion or signs it's already been triggered, and confirm it's screwed in correctly.
Coastguard's Old4New campaign has taken more than 24,000 unsafe lifejackets out of circulation since 2014 by letting boaties trade them in for discounted new ones. If you're not sure whether yours still meets the grade, that's a good place to start rather than gambling on a decade-old jacket doing its job.
Beyond the Lifejacket: Why Communication Is Your Backup
A lifejacket keeps you afloat. It doesn't call for help. That's the gap Maritime NZ's "Come Home Safe" messaging keeps coming back to: wear a properly fitted lifejacket, and carry at least two waterproof forms of communication, because the two work together, not as substitutes for each other.
Mobile Systems has spent over 25 years fitting out fishing boats, launches and commercial vessels around the Bay of Plenty coast, and the pattern we see is consistent. A lifejacket buys time. A working VHF radio, EPIRB or PLB is what turns that time into an actual rescue.
Marine VHF: Your First Call
A dedicated marine VHF radio outperforms a cellphone the moment you're more than a few kilometres offshore, since it isn't dependent on cellular coverage and gives you direct access to Channel 16, monitored 24/7 by Maritime NZ and Coastguard. Handheld options such as the GME GX625 5-Watt Handheld VHF Marine Radio or the floating Cobra HH500 Floating Bluetooth Marine Radio are a sensible addition to any tender or small craft, while a fixed-mount unit like the GME GX750 Black Box VHF Marine Radio suits a launch or fishing boat as a permanent installation.
One detail worth knowing: operating a marine VHF radio in New Zealand requires a Maritime VHF Operator's Certificate (MVOC) and a callsign, except when making a genuine distress or emergency call on Channel 16, where that requirement is waived. It's a straightforward course, and it means Search and Rescue can pull up your details instantly if you ever need them to.
EPIRBs and PLBs: The Difference That Matters
Do you actually need both a VHF radio and a beacon? For anyone heading beyond harbour limits, yes. An EPIRB (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon) is registered to a specific vessel and typically mounts in a bracket, while a PLB (Personal Locator Beacon) is registered to a person and can move between boats, or come with you if you end up in the water without the vessel. Both transmit on the 406MHz distress frequency monitored globally by search and rescue satellites.
If you'd rather trial a beacon before committing, or you only need one for an occasional offshore trip, MSL also offers Personal Locator Beacon Hire and Satellite Phone Hire, both useful for one-off trips beyond your usual patch.
