Lifejacket rules have changed.
As of 9 October 2026, everyone on board recreational craft of 6 metres in length and under must wear lifejackets while those craft are underway. The new rule applies everywhere in Aotearoa New Zealand.
As of 9 October 2026, everyone on board recreational craft of 6 metres in length and under must wear lifejackets while those craft are underway. The new rule applies everywhere in Aotearoa New Zealand.
New Zealand now has one clear, nationwide approach to wearing lifejackets, replacing a patchwork of regional bylaws.
As of Friday 9 October 2026, everyone on board must wear a lifejacket on recreational craft 6 metres (in length) or under while underway.
It applies to all craft types, powered and paddle craft alike - including boats, kayaks, stand-up paddleboards, and jet skis.
"Underway" means the vessel is not at anchor, aground, or tied up to a dock or the shore - it doesn't need to be moving under power or sail to count.
On vessels over 6 metres, current requirements stay the same: carry lifejackets for everyone and wear them during periods of heightened risk (e.g., crossing a bar, if you're on a boat being towed, in the dark), and by a person being towed (e.g., someone water skiing or wakeboarding).
Most people who drown on the water from watercraft incidents weren't wearing a lifejacket - and most incidents happen suddenly, with no time to put one on. Between 2000 and 2025, 362 of the 476 people who drowned in craft-related incidents (76%) weren't wearing a lifejacket. Most were adults, and most were men over 40.
Wearing a lifejacket is one of the simplest, most effective ways to get home safe - and it gives Coastguard volunteers and other rescuers a better chance of reaching you in time. Someone who ends up in the water unexpectedly is roughly three times more likely to survive if they're wearing one.
This kind of change has worked before. In Tasmania, mandatory lifejacket laws helped cut boating fatalities from 45 to 19. In Victoria, wearing rates rose from 22% to 63%. Closer to home, a local bylaw in Waikato achieved 90% compliance within eight years.
Much like seatbelts or bike helmets, this change makes the safe choice the normal choice.
Friday 9 October 2026
It applies to all recreational craft 6 metres and under, powered and paddle craft alike - including boats, kayaks, stand-up paddleboards and jet skis.
Length is measured as the vessel's overall length, making it straightforward to check whether it applies to your craft.
A vessel is underway whenever it’s not at anchor, aground, or tied up to a dock or the shore - even if it’s just drifting with the engine off, it still counts as underway.
Yes. Lifejacket rules cover people on board the craft, not people swimming, so once you're in the water for a swim or a dive you don't need to be wearing one - the craft doesn't need to be anchored. There's also a short allowance either side of that for getting in and out of the water, including repeated jumping or diving.
Yes. Everyone on board has to wear one. Make sure infants and children have a properly fitted, child-sized lifejacket, ideally with a crotch strap. An adult lifejacket won't keep a child's head above the water.
On vessels over 6 metres, current requirements stay the same: carry lifejackets for everyone and wear them during periods of heightened risk (e.g., crossing a bar, if you're on a boat being towed, in the dark), and by a person being towed (e.g., someone water skiing or wakeboarding). But a bigger boat doesn't mean a smaller risk - since 2000, 93 people have drowned in watercraft incidents on vessels over 6 metres. We want to see everyone come home safely so, just wear it - whatever you're on.
Yes. A tender or dinghy is a recreational craft in its own right, so it applies when you're rowing or motoring ashore from a larger boat or a mooring - even if the trip only takes a couple of minutes.
Yes. It applies on inland waters as well as harbours and the coast, so lakes, rivers and estuaries are all covered.
Yes, but only a few - and they're the same exemptions that already exist under Maritime Rule Part 91. You don't have to wear a lifejacket if you're:
There's also scope for exemptions where wearing a lifejacket would get in the way of operating safely. If none of these describe what you're doing, it applies to you - wear your lifejacket.
The skipper. As the one in charge of the boat, you're the one who makes sure everyone aboard has a lifejacket that fits and is wearing it properly - that's just good skippering, and it's how everyone gets home safe.
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.
Specific offences and penalties for the new wearing requirement haven't been created yet. This work will be led by Ministry for Cities, Environment, Regions and Transport (MCERT). Maritime NZ is still able to prosecute for significant harm resulting from violations of the Maritime Rules.
Coastguard's focus is on helping you understand the change and get everyone home safe.
For the latest, check Maritime NZ's website: maritimenz.govt.nz/lifejacket-changes
A lifejacket is a buoyancy aid that meets an approved standard – either NZS 5823, or an international standard deemed substantially compliant by the Director of Maritime NZ.
NZS 5823 defines different types of lifejackets (401 to 406).
The term ‘personal flotation device’ has now been replaced with ‘lifejacket’ but the definition has not changed otherwise.
Match the lifejacket to the activity. A paddler on a stand-up paddleboard or kayak needs something lighter and easier to move in than someone heading offshore in a powerboat, and children need a properly fitted child-sized one - never an adult jacket they can grow into. Our mates at Hutchwilco have a handy tool to help you narrow it down:
The New Zealand Standard defines lifejacket types (for different purposes) and weight ranges.
These place weight restrictions on certain types of lifejackets, such as inflatables. If a lifejacket does not fit, it can’t be “properly secured” as is required and therefore will not meet the rule requirements.
Coastguard's Old4New programme runs 16 November 2026 to 31 January 2027 at Hunting & Fishing stores nationwide, making it easy to trade in or get a lifejacket. Visit old4new.co.nz
Yes - inflatable lifejackets need to be serviced every year so you know they'll actually inflate when you need them. That means checking the gas cylinder, the firing head and the bladder, and following the manufacturer's instructions.
No. This only covers recreational craft. Commercial vessels - ferries, fishing boats, charter vessels and the like - aren't covered by it. They have their own safety requirements under New Zealand's maritime operator safety system.
