New Zealand now mandate life jackets for vessels 6 metres or less in length. Here’s how I think — especially as someone who’s actually been on the water there.
The water is more dangerous than you think
I’ve been driving cars across all five continents — Europe, Asia, Africa, the Americas, and Oceania. On the road, if “stuff happens”, you pull to the side, call the RAC / AA / police, and it gets sorted. This doesn’t work in the water. Neutral sometimes doesn’t cut it with the throttles. And at times, it’s not as easy as just dropping anchor. And for moving incidents, it’s far more precarious — if you go overboard, that’s a serious incident.
As recreational boating has become more and more accessible, we’re seeing more boaters on the water. Back in 1998, in Zürich where I started, life jackets were sometimes an afterthought — especially for those cruising on limited-horsepower engines. Today, having done runs in the Waitematā and beyond, it’s clear you need them on.
Even when they were optional, to me they were common sense
For my August 2026 runs, I actually had the legal authority, as the skipper, to tell my family not to wear them. I decided to keep them strapped as everything was new. Today, the rules have been dialled up — you now need them, on boats I own or skipper, whilst you’re still on terra firma. Excessive skipper dictatorship? Turns out the part right by the docks can in fact be incredibly slippery, especially after rain!
I would think of it more like a seat belt rule. If you fasten your seat belts as you are about to set off on the roads, we need something on the water — and life jackets are pretty much what you are looking at.
Peace of mind in an open boating culture
Boating in New Zealand is basically open to all — you don’t even need a licence. That gave me my chance to do a run in Auckland and Taupō. I think the least you can do is to ensure you stay safe — and a lifejacket is probably how we should start things off with.
So on my vessels, you’ll see — from Auckland to Amsterdam, Macau to Mauritania — an absolute life jacket rule that ties itself on when you’re about to head to the docks and stays on until you leave the water and are back at the marina. The water doesn’t give second chances. It’s the only way forward.
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