Boating rules by region: navigation safety bylaws in New Zealand
On top of the national rules, most regional councils have a navigation safety bylaw, enforced by a harbourmaster: local speed limits, ski lanes, jet ski registration, lifejacket and communication rules. Find your region for the bylaw, a link to it, and the published harbourmaster contacts.
From Friday 9 October 2026, everyone on board recreational craft 6 m or under must wear a lifejacket while underway — in every region, on every waterway. Coastguard: the national rule “takes precedence over conflicting regional bylaws”, and councils have up to five years to update theirs. Read the new lifejacket rules.
Many regions have bylaws covering navigational safety, speed limits and the carriage of communication devices while boating.
Maritime NZ · maritimenz.govt.nz
Find your region
North to south. Lake Taupō has its own bylaw and harbourmaster (the Waikato bylaw doesn’t apply there). Northland’s 2017 bylaw is still the one in force: the council adopted a new 2025 bylaw that isn’t in effect yet. The West Coast has no regional navigation safety bylaw; Greymouth has a port bylaw. Taranaki’s bylaw covers Port Taranaki and its approaches only.
North Island
| Region | Authority | Bylaw |
|---|---|---|
| Northland | Northland Regional Council | Northland Regional Council Navigation Safety Bylaw 2017 (a 2025 bylaw is adopted but not yet in effect) |
| Auckland | Auckland Council | Auckland Council Navigation Bylaw 2021 |
| Waikato | Waikato Regional Council | Waikato Regional Council 2013 Navigation Safety Bylaw (revised edition 2020) |
| Bay of Plenty | Bay of Plenty Regional Council Toi Moana | Bay of Plenty Navigation Safety Bylaw 2024 (in force 1 October 2026) |
| Lake Taupō | Lake Taupō Harbourmaster | Lake Taupō Navigation Safety Bylaw 2017 (consolidated as at June 2020) |
| Gisborne | Gisborne District Council | Tairāwhiti Navigation Safety Bylaw 2024 |
| Hawke's Bay | Hawke's Bay Regional Council | Hawke's Bay Navigation Safety Bylaw 2024 |
| Taranaki | Taranaki Regional Council | Navigation Safety Bylaws for Port Taranaki and its Approaches 2020 |
| Manawatū-Whanganui | Horizons Regional Council | Manawatū River and Tributaries Navigation Safety Bylaw 2022 |
| Wellington | Greater Wellington Regional Council | Wellington Regional Navigation Safety Bylaws 2021 |
South Island
| Region | Authority | Bylaw |
|---|---|---|
| Tasman | Tasman District Council | Tasman District Council Navigation Safety Bylaw 2024 |
| Nelson | Nelson City Council | Nelson City Council Navigation Safety Bylaw 2019 |
| Marlborough | Marlborough District Council | Marlborough District Council Navigation Safety Bylaw 2025 |
| West Coast | West Coast Regional Council | No regional navigation safety bylaw found (Greymouth: Port Bylaw 2014) |
| Canterbury | Environment Canterbury | Canterbury Regional Council Navigation Safety Bylaw 2016 |
| Otago | Otago Regional Council | Otago Regional Council Navigation Safety Bylaw 2026 |
| Southland | Environment Southland | Southland Regional Council Navigation Safety Bylaws 2009 |
Chatham Islands
| Region | Authority | Bylaw |
|---|---|---|
| Chatham Islands | Chatham Islands Council | Chatham Islands Navigation Safety Bylaws 2013 |
Harbourmasters are not an emergency service
Each region page lists the harbourmaster and council contacts as the council publishes them, for reporting hazards and asking about the rules. In an emergency call 111 and ask for Police, or use VHF Channel 16. For a breakdown, call Coastguard on *500 or 0800 262 843 (option 1). How to call Coastguard.
VesselSOS on New Zealand waters
- Life in danger? Tap “Yes” and the app dials 111. The screen shows your GPS position in words and a word-for-word script that starts “Police. Boat emergency, I’m on the water.”, then where you are and what happened.
- The rescue-centre list also has RCCNZ (0508 472 269) as a second Call button for offshore, and a VHF Channel 16 MAYDAY text filled with your boat’s details for you to read on your own radio.
- A live link for family ashore (Plus, free during the beta): your position, speed, course and phone battery in any browser, no app needed on their end. You send it by text yourself.
- Not an emergency? Tap “No” for Coastguard’s non-urgent line, 0800 262 843 option 1 (the same help as *500, which iPhone apps can’t dial).
What it doesn’t do: it doesn’t log a Coastguard trip report or bar crossing report, and it isn’t connected to 111, Police, Coastguard or RCCNZ. Nobody is alerted automatically if you’re late: the return-time check only asks “Are you OK?” on your own phone. The Coastguard app does text your shore contact after three unanswered prompts, so log your trip with Coastguard as well. A phone doesn’t replace a VHF radio, an EPIRB or PLB, or a lifejacket.
iPhone only, in invite-only TestFlight beta. Not in the App Store yet, no Android. New Zealand support (111 routing) is in beta version 1.5 and later.
Quick answers
What is a navigation safety bylaw?
A regional council’s local rules for boating, enforced by its harbourmaster, on top of the national Maritime Rules. Maritime NZ: “Many regions have bylaws covering navigational safety, speed limits and the carriage of communication devices while boating.”
Does the national lifejacket law override my regional bylaw?
Where they conflict, yes. Coastguard: “The new nationwide approach takes precedence over conflicting regional bylaws. Councils have up to five years to update their own bylaws to align, but it applies from 9 October 2026 either way.”
Which bylaw applies on Lake Taupō?
The Lake Taupō Navigation Safety Bylaw 2017 (consolidated as at June 2020), administered by the Lake Taupō Harbourmaster. The Waikato Regional Council bylaw does not apply to Lake Taupō.
Sources
Checked October 2026. Rules change — confirm with Maritime NZ, Coastguard or your regional harbourmaster before you go.
This page summarises the rules for planning; it isn’t legal advice. Where this page and the official text differ, the official text wins. Spotted an error? Email support@vesselsos.com.