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The William Rees statue on Queenstown's waterfront sported a new accessory yesterday, courtesy of Maritime NZ's ''monumental life jacket campaign'' for Safer Boating Week.

The statue was one of several well-known monuments around the country to be draped with a life jacket.

Maritime NZ deputy director Lindsay Sturt said an average of 15 boat users died in recreational boating accidents every year, of whom two-thirds could have been saved if they had worn a life jacket.

Safer Boating Week runs until October 24.