The Queenstown Lakes District Council plans to introduce a bylaw to make lifejacket use compulsory on boats by the end of summer, but says boaties should act now.
The announcement follows the fatal high-speed collision between a private jet-boat and jet ski on a wide bend of the Kawarau River, near Frankton, on Monday evening.
Anton Oskar Woitasek (34), project manager, of Lake Hayes, and Laurence Brett Singleton (51), contractor, of Queenstown, were killed in the incident.
The two jet ski riders, both of Invercargill, remained in Dunedin Hospital yesterday.
Emma Eckhold (19) was in a serious condition in intensive care and Mark Clay (21) was in a stable condition in an orthopaedic ward.
The council last year reviewed its waterways navigation and safety bylaw 2003 and was aiming for it to be tabled for adoption at next month's meeting.
Chief executive Duncan Field said it had been intended the bylaw would be adopted before Christmas, but more public submissions had been received than expected and the process had been rescheduled to allow full consideration of the submissions.
"The things in the bylaw are things individual boat owners could do today - wear a lifejacket, obey the rules and drive to a speed where they can safely stop without causing an accident, as in a car.
"We don't need the bylaw to do that, or prosecute that, but the bylaw will include on-the-spot infringement fees of up to $500, which will help enforcement.
"If people observed the rules, these accidents wouldn't happen."
Queenstown Lakes District Council harbourmaster Marty Black said the preference had always been to educate waterway users rather than exercise its ability to issue fines.
"That's far more important - but with vast areas of water, we can't always be everywhere at once.
''It's up to the community to sort this out and take some responsibility," he said.
"It doesn't matter how many staff we have, we can't nursemaid all these guys all the time."
Mr Black said he wanted a nationwide registration of all powered craft and compulsory lessons, such as the inexpensive one-day skipper's course offered by the coastguard for people operating powered craft capable of more than 5 knots.
"Politicians won't wear it, but maybe with the new Government they might . . . [Registration] could be easily achieved with the trailer number going on the boat.
"If you have a boat overdue, you just check the identity.
''There are some real advantages for search and rescue."
Mr Field said the community did not need another fatality on the district's lakes and rivers.
"We are now faced with the worst accident record on our waterways in this district for 25 years and each and every one of those accidents was avoidable."
''The losses on waterways around the country were "a national disgrace", he said.
With two full-time harbour masters, 12 wardens patrolling the district during summer and safety signs at all waterway facilities, the council was attempting to put the onus back on the community.
Mr Field said if this week's fatalities, following a fatality on the Matukituki River and a drowning at Lake Hawea, did not make even experienced boaties rethink their approach to water safety, nothing would.
"There are a number of good ideas that will take time to implement, such as boat registration, but there are two things that can be done right now," he said.
Boaties should always wear a lifejacket and know and abide by the basic boating rules.
Mr Black said staff on patrol continued to be shocked by the lack of compliance with the simple safety rules.
"I can talk to a hundred people in a day and I simply cannot believe the continuing complacency.
''It's truly galling because it's the families that have to pick up the pieces . . ."
"It's not the number of people [on the area's waterways] - it's the actions of those that are getting out there.
''For each of the fatalities . . . we have seen countless other incidents that could have easily ended in further tragedy," Mr Black said.
Maritime New Zealand investigators have completed their examination of the jet-boat and jet ski.
The two craft were now being examined at the Queenstown Police Station by Transport Accident Investigation Commission staff.
Maritime NZ investigations manager Steve van der Splinter, of Wellington, said months of work lay ahead.
"We're gathering the facts, talking to witnesses and working with police to reconstruct the accident.
''We'll take all the information and work out what happened and why.
"We still have two witnesses in Dunedin Hospital who we can't speak to at the moment."
