Marlborough boating rules: lifejackets, speed and the local bylaw
The rules on Marlborough 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 Marlborough
Marlborough District Council Navigation Safety Bylaw 2025
Marlborough District Council Navigation Safety Bylaw 2025 (adopted 30 October 2025, in force 3 November 2025; revoked the Navigation Bylaw 2023)
Who looks after the water: Marlborough District Council – Harbours (Harbourmaster's Office)
Lifejacket rules in the bylaw
Bylaw cl 3.2. Pleasure craft 6 m or less: everyone must wear a properly secured, correctly sized PFD while the craft is underway or preparing to get underway (no skipper waiver); when not underway, enough PFDs must stay readily accessible. Pleasure craft over 6 m: a correctly sized PFD for everyone, readily accessible, and everyone must wear one whenever there is any risk (tides, river flows, visibility, rough seas, bad weather, emergencies); everyone must also wear one if the master says so. The master and anyone being towed are both responsible for the towed person wearing a PFD. Exemptions only for people exempted under Maritime Rules Part 91 or by the Director of Maritime NZ, and for events the council exempts in writing (Schedule 2).
Source: marlborough.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
Duty Harbourmaster 03 520 7400 – council states the Harbourmaster's Office is available 24/7; harbours@marlborough.govt.nz; VHF: Picton Harbour Radio Ch 18, Marlborough Marine Radio Ch 01, 05, 63, 65. Council: the Harbourmaster does not provide emergency response – call 111 or make a Distress/Pan Pan/Sécurité call on VHF Ch 16. 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 Marlborough waters
Bylaw cl 3.3: 5 knots within 50 m of any vessel, raft or person in the water; within 200 m of the shore or any structure (or inshore of buoys marking that distance); within 200 m of a vessel flying Flag A (dive flag); and on a powered vessel while anyone has part of their body over the bow or side. Speed uplifts (Schedule 8): Havelock Channel 8 knots (marina entrance to channel beacon 8); Waihopai River (all); Awatere River (source to mouth); Pelorus River downstream of the Rai confluence; Wairau River sections (source to above the SH1 Tuamarina bridge; Blenheim Rowing Club to Baldicks Bend; Baldicks Bend to the Wairau Bar except February–April; SH1 bridge to Ferry Bridge). Designated water-ski access lanes are exempt from the 5-knot rule. Under 15s may not operate a powered vessel capable of more than 10 knots unless directly supervised by someone over 15 within immediate reach of the controls who is not also the lookout (cl 3.4); council may grant written exemptions.
Jet ski (PWC) rules and registration
No PWC registration or licence. Jet skis must show identification prominently above the waterline – the trailer registration number (cl 3.5.4); a jet ski normally carried on another vessel must be marked with the mother vessel's name and/or call sign. Minimum age: cl 3.4 (under 15 only with direct supervision within reach of the controls). Water-ski towing rules (lookout, no towing sunset to sunrise) also apply to towing by PWC.
Kayak, paddle board and kite rules
Paddle craft are exempt from the ID-number rule but must be marked with the owner's name and contact details (cl 3.5.3). Non-powered vessels operating within 200 m of shore need only one form of waterproof communication (council page). Wearing rule: council summary says all persons on vessels 6 m or less must wear a PFD; Part 91 exemptions (e.g. surfboards, windsurfers in wetsuits) apply. No kite-specific zones confirmed.
Other Marlborough rules
Two independent forms of communication able to reach someone ashore; VHF on Ch 18 required near Tory Channel entrance (council page also says VHF near French Pass). Ferries/ships: vessels under 500 GT must keep clear of ships over 500 GT – 500 m ahead and 50 m to the sides/astern (Moving Prohibited Zone). Picton Harbour restricted area: recreational vessels enter only when going to or from a marine service provider; commercial wharf areas restricted (Schedule 5). Water-ski access lanes (anticlockwise; Kumutoto Bay clockwise): Ngakuta Bay, Umungata (Davies) Bay, Bottle Bay, Kaipakirikiri Bay, Kumutoto Bay, Double Beach, Te Mahia Bay, Worlds End (Tennyson Inlet), Okiwi Bay. Swimming-only areas marked by yellow buoys from Labour Weekend to Easter (incl. Picton Foreshore, Shelley Beach, Waikawa Bay). All vessels must display ID (trailer registration, call sign, MNZ number, approved sporting body number or unique name/number, min 90 mm, not the make/model) except non-powered vessels ≤6 m, powered vessels ≤6 m with a removable outboard, paddle craft and rowing boats, which need the owner's name and contact details. Incidents can be reported through the council's Cruise Guide.
Popular boating waters in Marlborough
- Queen Charlotte Sound / Tōtaranui
- Pelorus Sound / Te Hoiere
- Kenepuru Sound
- Picton and Waikawa
- Havelock
- Tory Channel
- French Pass
- Wairau River
Some of the waters local boaties know best. This is our list, not an official one, and it isn’t complete.
VesselSOS on Marlborough 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 Marlborough?
From Friday 9 October 2026, everyone on board recreational craft 6 m or under must wear a lifejacket while underway, everywhere in New Zealand, Marlborough included. The regional rule: Bylaw cl 3.2. Pleasure craft 6 m or less: everyone must wear a properly secured, correctly sized PFD while the craft is underway or preparing to get underway (no skipper waiver); when not underway, enough PFDs must stay readily accessible. Pleasure craft over 6 m: a correctly sized PFD for everyone, readily accessible, and everyone must wear one whenever there is any risk (tides, river flows, visibility, rough seas, bad weather, emergencies); everyone must also wear one if the master says so. The master and anyone being towed are both responsible for the towed person wearing a PFD. Exemptions only for people exempted under Maritime Rules Part 91 or by the Director of Maritime NZ, and for events the council exempts in writing (Schedule 2).
What is the speed limit near the shore in Marlborough?
Bylaw cl 3.3: 5 knots within 50 m of any vessel, raft or person in the water; within 200 m of the shore or any structure (or inshore of buoys marking that distance); within 200 m of a vessel flying Flag A (dive flag); and on a powered vessel while anyone has part of their body over the bow or side. Speed uplifts (Schedule 8): Havelock Channel 8 knots (marina entrance to channel beacon 8); Waihopai River (all); Awatere River (source to mouth); Pelorus River downstream of the Rai confluence; Wairau River sections (source to above the SH1 Tuamarina bridge; Blenheim Rowing Club to Baldicks Bend; Baldicks Bend to the Wairau Bar except February–April; SH1 bridge to Ferry Bridge). Designated water-ski access lanes are exempt from the 5-knot rule. Under 15s may not operate a powered vessel capable of more than 10 knots unless directly supervised by someone over 15 within immediate reach of the controls who is not also the lookout (cl 3.4); council may grant written exemptions.
Do jet skis need to be registered in Marlborough?
No PWC registration or licence. Jet skis must show identification prominently above the waterline – the trailer registration number (cl 3.5.4); a jet ski normally carried on another vessel must be marked with the mother vessel's name and/or call sign. Minimum age: cl 3.4 (under 15 only with direct supervision within reach of the controls). Water-ski towing rules (lookout, no towing sunset to sunrise) also apply to towing by PWC.
Sources
Regional authority: Marlborough District Council – Harbours (Harbourmaster's Office)
- https://www.marlborough.govt.nz/environment/harbours
- https://www.marlborough.govt.nz/environment/harbours/navigation-bylaw
- https://www.marlborough.govt.nz/environment/harbours/contact-harbours-team
- https://www.marlborough.govt.nz/environment/harbours/safer-boating
- https://www.marlborough.govt.nz/repository/libraries/id:2ifzri1o01cxbymxkvwz/hierarchy/documents/environment/harbours/MDC_Navigation_Bylaw_2025_%28Signed%29.pdf
- https://www.coastguard.nz/lifejacket-changes
- https://www.boprc.govt.nz/living-in-the-bay/boating-in-the-bay/recreational-boating/lifejackets/
- https://www.orc.govt.nz/environment/harbourmaster/recreational-water-use
Checked October 2026. Rules change — confirm with Marlborough 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.