This has been on the cards for a while. There was a fairly pragmatic response from the authorities for a while, but the increase of SUP activity on the harbours and popular coastal areas over the last couple of years, has resulted in a hard line being taken.
Maritime NZ insist that SUP is far more dangerous for the user, in EVERY paddling environment, when compared to the high speed/impact sports of surfing, kiteboarding and windsurfing, (which benefit from a pragmatic exemption from pfd rules). They also believe that non-compliance is worthy of a $200 infringement. To offer a perspective on their efforts to keep us safe, riding a motorcycle without a crash helmet will set you back only $150. Running through a red light, $150. Throw the paddle away, and your SUP board magically becomes a surfboard,(likewise exempt from these regs) which can then be prone paddled anywhere you like, with or without added personal flotation.
Maritime NZ, and the Regional Authorities appear to be taking the position of "knowing what's best", while showing little interest in their own statistics, let alone canvassing qualified advice from experienced operators, industry representatives and recreational paddlers alike. The newly formed NZ SUP Association is working hard to lobby the authorities to evaluate their perceived risks, and modify regulation away from outdated "paddlecraft" pfd laws that SUP finds itself tied to by default.
Had 1 SUP riding bureaucrat been involved with 'the other side' of this misguided process, the issue may have been resolved overnight. Join
www.nzsup.org/ to follow the efforts being undertaken by the association to amend these regulations to far better fit the sport.
That is really stupid..
. Updated rules are:
