KEY POINTS:
The president of the New Zealand Jetboating Association may face charges for his role in a fatal Boxing Day river trip.
Jeff Donaldson of Dunedin was driving the jetboat involved on the upper stretches of the Matukituki River.
English doctor Paul Joseph Woods, 29, died when the jetboat hit a gravel bank and flipped. His partner, Dr Leanne Tonney, injured her hand and her brother, Dave Tonney, suffered leg injuries.
Maritime Safety NZ spokesman Ross Henderson confirmed yesterday that Mr Donaldson had been interviewed by two crash investigators about his driving.
Mr Donaldson has more than 40 years' experience driving jetboats and became president of the association in July. He was taking part in a recreational trip up the Matukituki River with two other boats, Mr Henderson said.
Mr Donaldson could not be contacted yesterday.
Constable Mike Johnston said Mr Donaldson's driving was "not a line of police inquiry".
The Queenstown Lakes District Council is conducting a separate inquiry into the accident.
The jetboat drivers could face charges under a council waterways bylaw, harbourmaster Marty Black said. They could face charges of careless use, or be fined $500.
The three boats were probably breaking a five-knot bylaw speed limit that existed on the Matukituki River upstream of the Glenfinnan Training Works, he said.
The Glenfinnan Training Works is a failed Otago Regional Council floodworks scheme, scheduled for removal in March.
Mr Black said the five-knot limit existed because of safety concerns about the floodworks structure and not because the river was dangerous.
He said jetboat users were "definitely" allowed to travel past the structure, but were required to observe the five-knot limit.
- OTAGO DAILY TIMES
