Should recreational power boat drivers need a licence?

File photo / Herald on Sunday

Opinion

Pauanui-Tairua harbourmaster Wayne Price is calling for a licensing system for boaties to be introduced after a collision between a jetski and a small boat near Pauanui Waterways on Friday night.

A 13-year-old and an 11-year-old were injured after their outboard motor-powered inflatable was rammed by a jetski driven by a 16-year-old at 7pm. The youths were unsupervised.

The following day 17-year-old Bishop Thompson was run over by a jetski after falling off his jetski on Lake Okareka near Rotorua. The boy was not wearing a lifejacket and is missing, presumed dead.

The dangers on the water are the same as on the roads, so boaties should be licensed just like drivers, says Mr Price.

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