Kia ora koutou,
Some happy news on the lifejacket bill front... I had a short message this morning from Dr Shane Reti, who is now the Bill's sponsor, saying the select committee had unanimously supported amending the draft Bill, so it mandates lifejacket use on all underway recreational craft 6m and under and for all ages.
You can read the select committee's full findings and recommendations to Parliament here: https://selectcommittees.parliament.nz/view/SelectCommitteeReport/16c974d5-ee3d-417e-e527-08dedd68a811.
The next step is for the Bill to return to Parliament for a vote passing it into law. When this happens is not clear though we remain hopeful it will take place before the house rises for the election. It's in the hands of the political scheduling Gods.
A huge thank you to everyone who made a submission on the Bill and the many of you who have spent years working for this kind of result.
Ngā mihi nui,
Glen
Glen Scanlon
Chief Executive
watersafetynz.org