Maritime NZ has 'complete belief' nationwide lifejacket rules will reduce fatalities
Everyone on board vessels up to six metres in length must wear a lifejacket, starting from today.
Maritime NZ says the nationwide rule means all people heading out on the water have a better chance of coming home.
On average, 17 people die in recreational boating accidents each year, with two thirds not wearing properly-fitted jackets.
Maritime NZ's Matt Wood told Kerre Woodham the rule change not only lifts the minimum standard nationally, but removes the regional differences, which makes the overall messaging clearer.
He says they believe it will make a tangible difference, as when this rule was introduced in Tasmania in 2001, fatal boating numbers halved straight away and have stayed that way since.
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