Proposed Navigation Safety Bylaw 2024

Consultation closed on Sunday 1 September. Thanks for your feedback.

Tasman is a great place to live, play, work and explore!

We are lucky to have an extensive 812km coastline and many rivers, lakes and beaches, are often in remote areas. Our great climate and environment mean we have a significant increase in recreational water users over summer undertaking a variety of water activities, boating and sports.

There are 67 boat access locations along our coast and we have high levels of commercial passenger traffic. The Tasman District has two ports, located at Motueka and Tarakohe.

What is Council’s role?

Tasman District Council has responsibilities for making our waters a safe and enjoyable place for everyone and this role extends out to the 12 nautical mile territorial sea limit.

The Maritime Transport Act 1994 enables a regional council to make navigation bylaws, in consultation with the Director of Maritime New Zealand, for the purpose of ensuring maritime safety in its region.

Our Navigation Safety Bylaw

The proposed bylaw is now open for submissions.

Our Navigation Safety Bylaw has been developed to ensure navigation safety for water users in Tasman and applies to all waters, including our lakes and rivers.

The bylaw covers all water activities and boating and sets out the local rules, complementing national rules to enhance water safety and ensure that people safely use and share our waterways.

What we are seeking feedback on

The Statement of Proposal sets out the main water safety issues that we’ve identified in Tasman and how we propose to address them in the bylaw. In summary, these are:

We are seeking your thoughts, views or suggestions regarding these topics, or others, relating to navigational safety on our waterways or coastlines.

The Council values your input and looks forward to your feedback.

Submissions closed on Sunday 1 September 2024.

Read more

Please refer to the following documents:

Navigation Safety Bylaws are created in accordance with the Maritime Transport Act 1994 and the Local Government Act 2002. They are reviewed every five years and allow for input and feedback from the public.