Navigation Safety Bylaw

This bylaw has been developed to ensure navigation safety for water users in the Tasman District and applies to all waters, including our lakes and rivers.

The bylaw covers all water activities and boating and sets out the local rules, complementing national rules to enhance water safety and ensure that people safely use and share our waterways.

Some of the requirements in the bylaw include:

• Lifejackets must be worn on smaller vessels when underway and on larger vessels if instructed to do so.
• All vessels are required to display an identifying name or be marked with the current owner’s name and contact details.
• Paddle craft (for example, kayak, stand up paddle board or waka) that are more than 200m from the shore must be clearly visible to any other water users.
• All vessels must have two independent, adequate forms of communication at any time
• Larger vessels, and some commercial and passenger vessels, are required to transmit an accurate AIS signal when in Tasman waters.

Download the Navigation Safety Bylaw (pdf 3.3 MB).

Related pages

• Maritime