Coastguard chief: ''How can you put a price on life?''

BE SAFE: President of Coastguard Rotorua Barry Grouby urges people to wear lifejackets when out on the water. PHOTO/BEN FRASER

Too many people are either not wearing lifejackets or their old safety equipment is no longer fit for the purpose, according to Coastguard Rotorua's president.

Coastguard New Zealand has been busy this summer giving out new lifejackets with their campaign Old4New Lifejacket Upgrade which is coming to Rotorua this weekend.

The 'Old4New Lifejacket Upgrade' van, supplied free-of-charge by Giltrap Group and laden with lifejackets, will be in Rotorua on Saturday.

The crew will be at the Rotorua Lakefront from 8am to 11am and will move to Boat Shed Bay at Lake Tarawera from 1pm to 4pm.

Coastguard Rotorua president Barry Grouby said he noticed a lot of people wearing old lifejackets.

"And they aren't really fit for the purpose. They have $100,000 boats and thousands of dollars worth of equipment apart from the lifejackets and how do you put a price on life?" He said.

The Old4New Lifejacket Upgrade is simple and effective, bring your old or damaged lifejacket to the Old4New team at one of the many pre-advertised locations, and receive a discount on a quality, modern and fit-for-purpose Hutchwilco lifejacket.

Boaties and members of the public are encouraged to visit the van and trade in their old lifejackets, where they can also get advice about boating and water safety from the friendly team at each location.

Only 70 per cent of boaties say they wear a lifejacket at all times on the water. This rate is highest for kayakers and canoeists at 83 per cent, and falls to just over 60 per cent for people in powerboats and 55 per cent for people in sailboats.

Given that the majority of boating fatalities could have been prevented had the person been wearing a lifejacket, the Old4New campaign aims to help save lives and change attitudes.