Applying to hold a temporary maritime event

About temporary events

Temporary maritime events can be as diverse as a power boat race, jet boat rally, yachting regatta, or paddle craft race.

A temporary maritime event can be held on a river, lake or in coastal areas where you need:

• exclusive use of an area or
• a temporary suspension of speed requirements for recreational vessels

Depending on who is responsible for safety of the waterway(s), in the area where you want to hold the event, you will have to apply to either:

• Maritime New Zealand or
• the local regional council.

In general a regional council will be responsible for inland regional waterways but in some cases Maritime New Zealand has this responsibility. In general, regional councils are responsible for activities within 12 nautical miles (22.5km) of the shore.

How to organise an event

1. Determine who you need to apply to

Check with the area you would like to hold your event to determine who you will need to apply to:

Northland Auckland Waikato Taranaki Hawke’s Bay Manawatu Wellington Marlborough West Coast Otago

Northland

You will have to apply to the organisation responsible for the waterways where you would like to hold your event.

Waterway type	MNZ area	Council bylaw area
Rivers / lakes
Oceans		1

¹ Northland Regional Council is responsible for these waterways.

Auckland

You will have to apply to the organisation responsible for the waterways where you would like to hold your event.

Waterway type	MNZ area	Council bylaw area
Rivers / lakes		1
Oceans		1

¹ Auckland Council is responsible for these waterways.

Waikato

You will have to apply to the organisation responsible for the waterways where you would like to hold your event.

Waterway type	MNZ area	Council bylaw area
Oceans / rivers / lakes		1
Ports	2

¹ Waikato Regional Council is responsible for these waterways.
² MNZ is only responsible for Port Taharoa.

Taranaki

You will have to apply to the organisation responsible for the waterways where you would like to hold your event.

Waterway type	MNZ area	Council bylaw area
Oceans / rivers / lakes
Ports		1

¹ Taranaki Regional Council is only responsible for the Port Taranaki.

Hawke’s Bay

You will have to apply to the organisation responsible for the waterways where you would like to hold your event.

Waterway type	MNZ area	Council bylaw area
Lakes	1	2
Oceans / rivers		2
Reserves		3

¹ MNZ is only responsible for the Lakes Waikareiti and Waikaremoana.
² Hawkes Bay Regional Council is responsible for these waterways.
³ Department of Conservation is responsible for Te Angiangi Marine Reserve

Manawatu

You will have to apply to the organisation responsible for the waterways where you would like to hold your event.

Waterway type	MNZ area	Council bylaw area
Oceans / lakes
Rivers / tributaries		1
Ports		2

¹ Horizons Regional Council is only responsible for the Manawatu River and tributaries.
² River City Port Ltd. is only responsible for the Port of Wanganui.

Wellington

You will have to apply to the organisation responsible for the waterways where you would like to hold your event.

Waterway type	MNZ area	Council bylaw area
Rivers	1	2
Oceans / lakes		2

¹ MNZ is only responsible for the Ruamahanga River.
² Greater Wellington Regional Council is responsible for these waterways.

Marlborough

You will have to apply to the organisation responsible for the waterways where you would like to hold your event.

Waterway type	MNZ area	Council bylaw area
Rivers / lakes
Oceans		1

¹ Marlborough District Council is responsible for these waterways.

West Coast

You will have to apply to the organisation responsible for the waterways where you would like to hold your event.

Waterway type	MNZ area	Council bylaw area
Rivers / lakes / oceans
Ports		1, 2

¹ Grey District Council is responsible for the Port of Greymouth.
² Buller District Council is responsible for the Port of Westport.

Otago

You will have to apply to the organisation responsible for the waterways where you would like to hold your event.

Waterway type	MNZ area	Council bylaw area
Rivers / oceans
Lakes		1, 2
Harbours		3

¹ Queenstown Lakes District Council is responsible for the Queenstown Lakes District waterways.
² Central Otago District Council is responsible for Lake Dunstan.
³ Otago Regional Council is responsible for the Dunedin Harbour and Karitane Harbour.

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2. Know your responsibilities

The club or organisation that is coordinating the event is responsible for:

• ensuring the safety of all participants and the public
• complying with all the requirements that are applicable to the event being held

These may go beyond Maritime NZ areas of responsibility.

As the organiser, you should consult your territorial / local authority (this may be a city or district council) and WorkSafe NZ to establish the requirements that may apply to your event.

3. Complete the application form

If you would like to hold your event within an area that MNZ is responsible for, you will need to apply to the Director of Maritime NZ for a grant to temporarily:

• suspend or uplift vessel speed limits
• reserve areas of waterways

You will need to complete the Temporary maritime event application form and provide any additional documentation that may be required.

Temporary maritime event application form[PDF: 335KB, 12 pages]

Before granting an application, under maritime rules Part 91 Navigation Safety Rules, the Director must be satisfied that you have the appropriate safeguards in place to ensure public safety and that you have consulted with potentially affected parties.

If you would like to hold your event in an area that MNZ is NOT responsible for, you will need to contact the relevant authorities.