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The Northland Regional Council is warning anyone planning to use a personal water craft - PWC or jet skis - in Northland waters this summer to make sure it is registered. Otherwise, they warn, users could face an instant fine of up to $200 or even prosecution under the Maritime Transport Act.
The council is planning a crackdown on PWC users after bad behaviour forced them to review their "education first" approach.
Registration of PWCs in Northland waters has been compulsory under council bylaws for several years. Until now, however, the council has preferred to focus on education to improve behaviour, rather than simply enforcing registration rules.
Increasing problems with PWCs, especially over the summer and holidays, has seen that attitude change and, from January 1, the rules will be strictly enforced.
According to Ian Niblock, the council's regional harbour master, an updated Navigation Safety bylaw (which came into effect on November 1), combined with the summer season and increasingly busy regional harbours saw the council decide that now is the right time to begin enforcing the registration requirement.
"We are aiming to have all PWCs in use in Northland registered by New Year's Day," he says. "This will make it much easier to identify those responsible for bylaw breaches."
Mr Niblock points out that the safety rules are in place for a very good reason: "People have been injured, or even killed, in PWC incidents elsewhere in New Zealand."
As well as allowing authorities to locate the owners or users of machines seen breaking bylaws, registration can also be a useful way of identifying PWCs if they are stolen.
PWCs must also be registered in all waters controlled by the Auckland and Waikato regional councils. Anyone wanting to use a PWC in the area north of a line from Whangamata to the Waikato River and west to Mokau must register it first.
Registration costs $35 (including GST) and involves completing a form, which is available from any of the three councils or their websites.
A single registration is valid for all three regions and the allocated registration number must be clearly displayed on the side of the PWC.
A set of registration stickers is available for an extra $12.50 or owners can simply write their registration number on the side of the PWC. The number can be in any colour or lettering style as long as it is clearly visible.
The ARC will maintain the PWC register.
