Northland seeking jetski registration

A maritime bylaw being proposed in Northland is calling for the registration of jetskis and for recreational boats to have to carry lifejackets.

The Northland Regional Council, through its proposed Navigation Safety bylaw, wants jetskis registered to help track any safety problems back to their owners.

Recreational boats will be required to carry lifejackets and these will have to be worn by people on board in some situations, although this requirement is also likely to be included in new Maritime Safety Authority maritime rules.

The regional council also wants to extend its existing bylaw jurisdiction offshore from harbour waters to the 12-mile limit, at present the outer limit of the region where the Maritime Safety Authority has responsibility for boat safety issues.

Council harbourmaster Ian Niblock said he expected these three proposals to attract particular public interest, although most of the new bylaw provisions related mainly to ship and boat operation, and the safe use of wharves and other coastal facilities in Northland.

The new rules, designed to update old harbour bylaws from the 1960s, have been drawn up within a general framework compiled by a national working party as a guideline for all regional councils, with changes to adapt them for Northland.

Public submissions on the bylaw proposals are now being sought by the council and will close on August 17.

A public hearing will follow and a final version of the bylaw is expected shortly before Christmas.