Jet boating

Jet boating is a popular pastime in Southland, with the Southland branch of Jet Boating NZ established here in 1966.

Jet boats have a hard time operating under the regional speed limit of 5 knots within 200m of the shore which applies to all Southland freshwater rivers, and unless operating within an area where a permanent speed uplift is in place, operators will generally have to request a temporary speed uplift through the regional harbourmaster.

Permanent speed uplifts

There are permanent speed uplifts in place on some Southland rivers, and these can be found in the Navigation Safety Bylaws or on our Beacon GIS online mapping system.

Temporary speed uplifts

Requests for temporary speed uplifts (for an event, outing etc) are to be made through the Harbourmaster by emailing to service@es.govt.nz with the proposed location, duration and safety precautions.

Note that there are other requirements to obtain a speed uplift, such as consulting with appropriate authorities and organisations, advertising approved uplifts in the newspaper etc. Details on how to apply for a temporary speed uplift can be found in the Navigation Safety Bylaws, Schedule 8.