25/09/2026
Hi everyone,
My name is Mary Robertson I’m the Child Safety Officer on the Committee, and this is just a quick update on behalf of the Committee, regarding the new national lifejacket regulation which will come into effect on the 9 October.
Under the new regulation, people on a paddle craft under 6 meters in length will generally be required to wear a lifejacket. Our club's existing requirement is that all paddlers under 14 years of age wear a lifejacket remains unchanged so there will be little practical change for our novice and largely our intermediate squads. The main impact is that our paddlers 14 years and up including adult paddlers will also be required to wear lifejackets unless an approved exemption is obtained from Maritime NZ.
Canoe Racing NZ is working with Maritime NZ to develop a safety plan for kayaking clubs and organized events, and we are awaiting further information on what this may mean our club. It is likely that the safety plan will require Clubs to support the higher degree of lifejacket utilisation. We will share further information with members as soon as we receive it. In the meantime, the Committee as well as your coaches are getting squad members prepared for that change. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.
Cheers
Mary
Via [email protected]
