Gisborne boating rules: lifejackets, speed and the local bylaw
The rules on Gisborne waters, from the regional authority and Maritime NZ, linked line by line: lifejackets, speed limits, jet skis, paddle craft and who looks after the water.
From Friday 9 October 2026, everyone on board recreational craft 6 m or under must wear a lifejacket while underway.
It applies on all waters — coast, harbours, lakes and rivers — and covers kayaks, paddleboards, jet skis, dinghies and tenders. “Underway” means not at anchor, aground, or tied to a dock or the shore, so drifting counts. Penalties for the new rule have not been created yet. Who must wear one, exemptions and how to measure 6 m →
Emergency on the water
How to call Coastguard: 111, Channel 16 or *500
Navigation safety bylaw in Gisborne
Tairāwhiti Navigation Safety Bylaw 2024
Tairāwhiti Navigation Safety Bylaw 2024 (Ture ā-rohe Haumaru Whakatere o Te Tairāwhiti 2024), made 8 August 2024, in force 4 October 2024
Who looks after the water: Gisborne District Council (Te Kaunihera o Te Tairāwhiti) – Harbourmaster
Lifejacket rules in the bylaw
Carry: a recreational craft may only be used if it carries a lifejacket of an appropriate size for each person on board, in a readily accessible place (cl. 8(1)). Wear: on any recreational craft 6 m or less overall, everyone must wear a properly secured lifejacket while the craft is underway – the bylaw has no 'skipper may waive' exception (cl. 8(2)). On any recreational craft, lifejackets must be worn whenever there is a risk to safety (tides, river flows, visibility, rough seas, bad weather, emergencies) (cl. 8(3)). Anyone being towed must wear one (cl. 8(7)–(8)). Exemptions: surfboards riding waves; sailboarders (incl. kitesurfers, wing sailors) in a wetsuit; divers in a full dive suit on boats 6 m or less within 5 NM of shore; supervised sport/training; surfboard-type unpowered craft used with a leash within 200 m of shore (cl. 8(4)).
Source: gdc.govt.nz
Where the bylaw conflicts with the national law above, the national law applies from 9 October 2026 (Coastguard: councils have up to five years to update their bylaws).
Harbourmaster and council contacts
Gisborne District Council Harbourmaster: harbourmaster@gdc.govt.nz (published in the bylaw for notifications, licences and exemptions). Council phone 0800 653 800 or (06) 867 2049 – the council's general line, listed as 24 hours; not published as a dedicated harbourmaster number. Emergencies: 111.
These are published contacts for reporting hazards and asking about the rules. In an emergency call 111 and ask for Police, or use VHF Channel 16.
Speed limits on Gisborne waters
5 knots maximum (proper speed): within 50 m of any other vessel or person in the water; within 200 m of the shore or any structure (including inshore of buoys marking 200 m); within 200 m of a vessel or floating structure flying Flag A (dive flag); when knowingly approaching within 200 m of a marine mammal (cl. 19(1)). 5 knots on a power-driven vessel while anyone has part of their body over the bow or side (cl. 19(2)). No towing above 5 knots in those areas. Exceptions: vessels using an access lane or reserved area for its purpose – Turanganui River mouth access lane, Kaiti Beach channel, the jet ski area off Midway Beach (opposite Pacific Street) and the Tolaga Bay (Uawa River) ski lane (Schedule 1). The 2024 bylaw revoked the Water Recreation (Waiapu River) Notice 1979 (cl. 47). The council's jet ski page also says jet skis must not exceed 5 knots in any river; that rule was not found in the 2024 bylaw text.
Jet ski (PWC) rules and registration
Every PWC (jet ski) must display a distinctive ID number on both sides above the waterline – either its trailer registration number or a PWC identification number from the council (or another regional council with an equivalent scheme) – at least 90 mm high, contrasting colour, legible at 50 m; the PWC ID must also be on the trailer; the council must be notified of the number before use and of any sale within 30 days (cl. 42). The council's jet ski page says all jet skis in its waters, including visitors', must be registered, and registration is free if not already registered elsewhere. Minimum age: under 15s may not be in charge of a power-driven vessel capable of more than 10 knots unless directly supervised by a person over 15 within immediate reach of the controls (cl. 18). Towing needs an extra person aged 10+ as observer (cl. 13).
Kayak, paddle board and kite rules
Kitesurfers, windsurfers and wing sailors count as 'sailboards': exempt from lifejacket rules if a wetsuit is worn at all times, and exempt from the 200 m shore speed limit (cl. 8(4)(b), 19(7)(d)). Surfboard-type unpowered craft (other than wave-riding surfboards) are exempt from lifejacket rules only within 200 m of shore with a suitable leash (cl. 8(4)(e)). Unpowered vessels within Gisborne Harbour Limits or 1000 m of the coast need one waterproof means of communication; surfboards there are exempt (cl. 9(2)–(3)).
Other Gisborne rules
Two means of communication required on every vessel (waterproof on vessels under 6 m) (cl. 9). Dive Notification form to the Harbourmaster at least 2 hours before dive operations; Flag A visible at 200 m (cl. 10). No diving, jumping or swimming within 50 m of commercial port structures, or of wharves/ramps when a vessel is within 50 m (cl. 11). Swimmers more than 200 m from shore need a bright float/buoy or bright swim cap unless accompanied (cl. 12). No towing between sunset and sunrise or in restricted visibility (cl. 13). Surf lifesaving flagged areas: only the flagged activity within 200 m of shore (cl. 16). Powered vessels over 4 m need a name/number of at least 90 mm on both sides and on the trailer (cl. 43). Moorings need resource consent or a Harbourmaster licence (cl. 30). Crayfish pot and set-net exclusion area inside Gisborne Harbour Limits (Schedule 2). Vessels over 500 GT have set anchorages and a pilotage area. Alcohol is not addressed in the bylaw (the council's safety page only advises against it).
Popular boating waters in Gisborne
- Tūranganui-a-Kiwa / Poverty Bay
- Gisborne Harbour and Tūranganui River
- Waikanae and Midway Beaches
- Tolaga Bay (Uawa)
- Tokomaru Bay
- Anaura Bay
- Hicks Bay
- Waimatā and Taruheru Rivers
Some of the waters local boaties know best. This is our list, not an official one, and it isn’t complete.
VesselSOS on Gisborne waters
- Life in danger? Tap “Yes” and the app dials 111. The screen shows your GPS position in words and a word-for-word script that starts “Police. Boat emergency, I’m on the water.”, then where you are and what happened.
- The rescue-centre list also has RCCNZ (0508 472 269) as a second Call button for offshore, and a VHF Channel 16 MAYDAY text filled with your boat’s details for you to read on your own radio.
- A live link for family ashore (Plus, free during the beta): your position, speed, course and phone battery in any browser, no app needed on their end. You send it by text yourself.
- Not an emergency? Tap “No” for Coastguard’s non-urgent line, 0800 262 843 option 1 (the same help as *500, which iPhone apps can’t dial).
What it doesn’t do: it doesn’t log a Coastguard trip report or bar crossing report, and it isn’t connected to 111, Police, Coastguard or RCCNZ. Nobody is alerted automatically if you’re late: the return-time check only asks “Are you OK?” on your own phone. The Coastguard app does text your shore contact after three unanswered prompts, so log your trip with Coastguard as well. A phone doesn’t replace a VHF radio, an EPIRB or PLB, or a lifejacket.
iPhone only, in invite-only TestFlight beta. Not in the App Store yet, no Android. New Zealand support (111 routing) is in beta version 1.5 and later.
Quick answers
Do you have to wear a lifejacket in Gisborne?
From Friday 9 October 2026, everyone on board recreational craft 6 m or under must wear a lifejacket while underway, everywhere in New Zealand, Gisborne included. The regional rule: Carry: a recreational craft may only be used if it carries a lifejacket of an appropriate size for each person on board, in a readily accessible place (cl. 8(1)). Wear: on any recreational craft 6 m or less overall, everyone must wear a properly secured lifejacket while the craft is underway – the bylaw has no 'skipper may waive' exception (cl. 8(2)). On any recreational craft, lifejackets must be worn whenever there is a risk to safety (tides, river flows, visibility, rough seas, bad weather, emergencies) (cl. 8(3)). Anyone being towed must wear one (cl. 8(7)–(8)). Exemptions: surfboards riding waves; sailboarders (incl. kitesurfers, wing sailors) in a wetsuit; divers in a full dive suit on boats 6 m or less within 5 NM of shore; supervised sport/training; surfboard-type unpowered craft used with a leash within 200 m of shore (cl. 8(4)).
What is the speed limit near the shore in Gisborne?
5 knots maximum (proper speed): within 50 m of any other vessel or person in the water; within 200 m of the shore or any structure (including inshore of buoys marking 200 m); within 200 m of a vessel or floating structure flying Flag A (dive flag); when knowingly approaching within 200 m of a marine mammal (cl. 19(1)). 5 knots on a power-driven vessel while anyone has part of their body over the bow or side (cl. 19(2)). No towing above 5 knots in those areas. Exceptions: vessels using an access lane or reserved area for its purpose – Turanganui River mouth access lane, Kaiti Beach channel, the jet ski area off Midway Beach (opposite Pacific Street) and the Tolaga Bay (Uawa River) ski lane (Schedule 1). The 2024 bylaw revoked the Water Recreation (Waiapu River) Notice 1979 (cl. 47). The council's jet ski page also says jet skis must not exceed 5 knots in any river; that rule was not found in the 2024 bylaw text.
Do jet skis need to be registered in Gisborne?
Every PWC (jet ski) must display a distinctive ID number on both sides above the waterline – either its trailer registration number or a PWC identification number from the council (or another regional council with an equivalent scheme) – at least 90 mm high, contrasting colour, legible at 50 m; the PWC ID must also be on the trailer; the council must be notified of the number before use and of any sale within 30 days (cl. 42). The council's jet ski page says all jet skis in its waters, including visitors', must be registered, and registration is free if not already registered elsewhere. Minimum age: under 15s may not be in charge of a power-driven vessel capable of more than 10 knots unless directly supervised by a person over 15 within immediate reach of the controls (cl. 18). Towing needs an extra person aged 10+ as observer (cl. 13).
Sources
Regional authority: Gisborne District Council (Te Kaunihera o Te Tairāwhiti) – Harbourmaster
- https://www.gdc.govt.nz/__data/assets/pdf_file/0029/80777/Navigation-Safety-Bylaw-2024.pdf
- https://www.gdc.govt.nz/council/plans-policies-and-bylaws/bylaws/tairawhiti-navigation-safety-bylaw-2024
- https://www.gdc.govt.nz/environment/coast-and-harbour/safety-at-sea
- https://www.gdc.govt.nz/environment/coast-and-harbour/jet-skis
- https://www.gdc.govt.nz/environment/coast-and-harbour
- https://www.maritimenz.govt.nz/recreational/safety/lifejackets/
- https://www.coastguard.nz/lifejacket-changes
- https://www.boprc.govt.nz/living-in-the-bay/boating-in-the-bay/recreational-boating/lifejackets/
Checked October 2026. Rules change — confirm with Gisborne District Council before you go.
This page summarises the rules for planning; it isn’t legal advice. Where this page and the official text differ, the official text wins. Spotted an error? Email support@vesselsos.com.