Canterbury boating rules: lifejackets, speed and the local bylaw
The rules on Canterbury waters, from the regional authority and Maritime NZ, linked line by line: lifejackets, speed limits, jet skis, paddle craft and who looks after the water.
From Friday 9 October 2026, everyone on board recreational craft 6 m or under must wear a lifejacket while underway.
It applies on all waters — coast, harbours, lakes and rivers — and covers kayaks, paddleboards, jet skis, dinghies and tenders. “Underway” means not at anchor, aground, or tied to a dock or the shore, so drifting counts. Penalties for the new rule have not been created yet. Who must wear one, exemptions and how to measure 6 m →
Emergency on the water
How to call Coastguard: 111, Channel 16 or *500
Navigation safety bylaw in Canterbury
Canterbury Regional Council Navigation Safety Bylaw 2016
Canterbury Regional Council Navigation Safety Bylaw 2016 and Controls (in force 10 October 2016; as amended 19 July 2023, amendments operative 1 August 2023)
Who looks after the water: Environment Canterbury (Canterbury Regional Council) – Coast and Harbours / Regional Harbourmaster's Office
Lifejacket rules in the bylaw
Bylaw cl 5(1): everyone on board a recreational vessel 6 m or less must wear a properly secured PFD of the right size and type for the activity while the vessel is underway (ECan: at all times except when tied up or at anchor). No skipper waiver. Exemptions (unless the Harbourmaster, an enforcement officer or a constable directs otherwise): people exempted under Maritime Rules Part 91 or by the Director of Maritime NZ; people on non-powered vessels on the Avon River/Ōtākaro between the Antigua Boat Sheds and the footbridge near the Botanic Gardens café; written Harbourmaster exemptions. Part 91 carriage (a lifejacket for everyone) and heightened-risk wearing still apply. Motunau: everyone must wear a PFD when navigating the channel to or from the open sea.
Source: ecan.govt.nz
Where the bylaw conflicts with the national law above, the national law applies from 9 October 2026 (Coastguard: councils have up to five years to update their bylaws).
Harbourmaster and council contacts
Urgent but not an emergency: ECan Coast and Harbours Duty Officer 03 328 9168; hazards and unsafe behaviour can be reported via ECan's online form; ECan general line 0800 324 636 (Maritime NZ also lists +64 3 353 9007). Emergencies: 111.
These are published contacts for reporting hazards and asking about the rules. In an emergency call 111 and ask for Police, or use VHF Channel 16.
Speed limits on Canterbury waters
National 5-knot rules (within 200 m of shore/structures/dive flag, 50 m of other vessels or people in the water). Rivers (cl 14): max 5 knots on any river unless in a Speed Uplifted Zone (SUZ) declared by the Harbourmaster in the bylaw controls; paddle craft and rafts are exempt from the river limit; in SUZs towing is still limited to 5 knots unless specifically uplifted. Use of SUZs is automatically approved but the Harbourmaster/council can restrict or revoke it for unsafe use. Anyone legally going faster than 5 knots must not endanger or unduly interfere with other water users (cl 8(1)). River rules: keep as far right as safe, upstream vessels give way to downstream, don't navigate when conditions are unsafe (e.g. below spilling dams). Under 15s: may not navigate a powered vessel capable of more than 10 knots unless directly supervised by someone over 15 within immediate reach of the controls (cl 7; written Harbourmaster exemptions possible).
Jet ski (PWC) rules and registration
No PWC registration or licence. All boats in Canterbury, including jet skis, need an identifying number on each side of the hull (cl 20; trailer registration acceptable for trailer boats). Minimum age: cl 7 (as above). PWC-specific areas are shown in the bylaw controls maps.
Kayak, paddle board and kite rules
A SUP riding travelling (ocean) waves with a releasable leash counts as a surfboard; a SUP used anywhere else (flat water, rivers, standing waves) is a paddle craft and paddle-craft rules apply. ECan publishes a Paddleboard operators guideline. The bylaw controls include windsurfing/kitesurfing/non-powered vessel areas. Paddle craft are on the ID-exemption list.
Other Canterbury rules
Motunau River bar: skippers without recent local knowledge (at least four crossings in the past year) may cross only in daylight with good visibility, sea and river conditions (not in flood); outbound vessels give way to inbound and must not enter the channel while an inbound vessel over 6 m is in or about to enter it. Large vessels: no obstruction of a Moving Prohibited Zone or main navigational channel (Lyttelton); Akaroa Harbour passenger-vessel restrictions. Reserved areas and access lanes are set in the controls; temporary reservations/exemptions need Harbourmaster approval and a fee. Swing moorings require ECan authorisation. Accidents/incidents must be reported to the Harbourmaster as soon as practicable, with written details within 24 hours.
Popular boating waters in Canterbury
- Lyttelton Harbour / Whakaraupō
- Akaroa Harbour
- Kaikōura coast
- Waimakariri River
- Avon–Heathcote Estuary / Ihutai
- Lake Tekapo
- Lake Coleridge
- Motunau
Some of the waters local boaties know best. This is our list, not an official one, and it isn’t complete.
VesselSOS on Canterbury 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
Do you have to wear a lifejacket in Canterbury?
From Friday 9 October 2026, everyone on board recreational craft 6 m or under must wear a lifejacket while underway, everywhere in New Zealand, Canterbury included. The regional rule: Bylaw cl 5(1): everyone on board a recreational vessel 6 m or less must wear a properly secured PFD of the right size and type for the activity while the vessel is underway (ECan: at all times except when tied up or at anchor). No skipper waiver. Exemptions (unless the Harbourmaster, an enforcement officer or a constable directs otherwise): people exempted under Maritime Rules Part 91 or by the Director of Maritime NZ; people on non-powered vessels on the Avon River/Ōtākaro between the Antigua Boat Sheds and the footbridge near the Botanic Gardens café; written Harbourmaster exemptions. Part 91 carriage (a lifejacket for everyone) and heightened-risk wearing still apply. Motunau: everyone must wear a PFD when navigating the channel to or from the open sea.
What is the speed limit near the shore in Canterbury?
National 5-knot rules (within 200 m of shore/structures/dive flag, 50 m of other vessels or people in the water). Rivers (cl 14): max 5 knots on any river unless in a Speed Uplifted Zone (SUZ) declared by the Harbourmaster in the bylaw controls; paddle craft and rafts are exempt from the river limit; in SUZs towing is still limited to 5 knots unless specifically uplifted. Use of SUZs is automatically approved but the Harbourmaster/council can restrict or revoke it for unsafe use. Anyone legally going faster than 5 knots must not endanger or unduly interfere with other water users (cl 8(1)). River rules: keep as far right as safe, upstream vessels give way to downstream, don't navigate when conditions are unsafe (e.g. below spilling dams). Under 15s: may not navigate a powered vessel capable of more than 10 knots unless directly supervised by someone over 15 within immediate reach of the controls (cl 7; written Harbourmaster exemptions possible).
Do jet skis need to be registered in Canterbury?
No PWC registration or licence. All boats in Canterbury, including jet skis, need an identifying number on each side of the hull (cl 20; trailer registration acceptable for trailer boats). Minimum age: cl 7 (as above). PWC-specific areas are shown in the bylaw controls maps.
Sources
Regional authority: Environment Canterbury (Canterbury Regional Council) – Coast and Harbours / Regional Harbourmaster's Office
- https://www.ecan.govt.nz/do-it-online/harbourmasters-office
- https://www.ecan.govt.nz/do-it-online/harbourmasters-office/recreational-boating
- https://www.ecan.govt.nz/do-it-online/harbourmasters-office/recreational-boating/regulations
- https://www.ecan.govt.nz/do-it-online/harbourmasters-office/recreational-boating/safer-boating
- https://www.ecan.govt.nz/do-it-online/harbourmasters-office/report-a-boating-incidentaccident-or-hazard
- https://www.ecan.govt.nz/document/download?uri=2473039
- https://api.ecan.govt.nz/TrimPublicAPI/documents/download/2473039
- https://www.coastguard.nz/lifejacket-changes
- https://www.boprc.govt.nz/living-in-the-bay/boating-in-the-bay/recreational-boating/lifejackets/
- https://www.orc.govt.nz/environment/harbourmaster/recreational-water-use
Checked October 2026. Rules change — confirm with Environment Canterbury 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.