In the baseline year (2023/24) 82 incidents, accidents or mishaps in Waitaha Canterbury were reported to Maritime New Zealand. Over the previous five years, the number of incidents has been relatively stable, with annual results being only slightly more or less than the baseline year. Maritime New Zealand updates this data every six months, in May and November each year.
In 2023/24, there were no recreational boating fatalities in Waitaha Canterbury. Over the previous nine years, there have been nine recreational boating fatalities in Waitaha Canterbury.
Waitaha Canterbury makes up 12 per cent of New Zealand’s waterways, so water safety is important, especially in a region with easy access to rivers, lakes and the coast. Our Harbourmaster’s Office is responsible for managing all maritime-related activities up to 12 nautical miles offshore that may affect the navigational safety of vessels on Canterbury’s waterways.
This work includes monitoring the operation of cruise ships and commercial ships, and managing swing moorings, plus a wide range of recreational boating activities – that’s everything from kayaking to jet boating, sailing to stand-up paddleboarding.
On 1 July 2024, Maritime New Zealand became the main health and safety regulator for New Zealand’s 13 major ports – both on land and on ships. Notifications of incidents and accidents in these ports were received by Maritime New Zealand from this date and are included in their reporting summary. This data includes navigational safety incidents along with any other kind of maritime incident that occurs on water or land.
This measure is the number of accidents, incidents and mishaps that have been reported to Maritime New Zealand in accordance with the Maritime Transport Act 1994 and the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015.
The Harbourmaster’s Office has a comprehensive work programme to support the navigational safety of commercial shipping and recreational boating.
We also operate under the New Zealand Port and Harbour Marine Safety Code, which provides measures for the safe management of ships in ports and harbours. It includes mitigations to prevent serious harm to people and the protection of the marine environment.
Within Waitaha Canterbury, the code applies to vessels greater than 40m long or greater than 500 tonnes in the following areas:
In these areas, we’ve completed detailed risk assessments covering both commercial vessel operations and any recreational vessel activities that may have an impact on those operations. We also have a Safety Management System in place that applies to all waterways across the region and coastal areas to the 12 nautical mile limit.
On top of that, we run seasonal safety campaigns and help coordinate local boating events – all with the goal to ensure safer recreational boating and improved safety awareness on the water.
We work closely with vessel owners, operators and all water users – everyone has a part to play in keeping our waterways safe.
This approach supports Maritime New Zealand’s role as a kaitiaki (guardian), helping ensure our oceans and waterways remain safe, secure and clean.
More information about accident, incident and mishap reporting to Maritime New Zealand is available on their notification summaries webpage.
Maritime New Zealand also undertakes different items of research to understand the behaviours, risk factors and latest figures and statistics on recreational boating in New Zealand.