Auckland.
The council bylaw comes into force on today – just in time for Labour weekend - and is intended to ramp up safety for boaties in the region.
It will now be an offence for anyone to be in charge of a vessel while intoxicated from booze or drugs.
And people on small boats – 6m long or less – will need to don lifejackets unless the skipper says otherwise.
It is also now compulsory to carry a communication device, such as a radio, mobile phone, distress beacon or flare, on board.
The council says it will be visiting boat ramps and jetties around the region to make sure people are on board with the rules.
It was all too common to hear that someone had drowned after not wearing a lifejacket, Councillor Calum Penrose said.
"Our message to anyone going out in a boat is to take a lifejacket and wear it. It's not going to save your life if you don't have it on."
The lifejacket law change was met with opposition from boaties, many of whom found the proposal too restrictive.
The bylaw follows similar moves by other councils around the country including Hawke's Bay Regional Council, which has begun handing out $300 fines to boaties not wearing lifejackets.
Of the 113 who drowned while boating between 2007 and 2013, 46 had access to flotation devices but did not use them.
Water the changes?
Compulsory to wear a lifejacket on a 6m or smaller boat - unless skipper gives permission not to
Compulsory to carry a communication device
Illegal to be in charge of a boat if intoxicated from alcohol or drugs
Different management systems for moorings.
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