Old4New Lifejacket Upgrade Initiative

The terrible tragedy on the Kaipara Harbour highlights the importance of wearing lifejackets, whenever you are on the water. Lifejackets need to fit, and be available for every person aboard a boat, regardless of their age, fitness level or experience. Water conditions are unpredictable and highly susceptible to change, and all oceans, lakes and rivers should be treated with the utmost respect.

Coastguard is excited to announce the launch of the Old4New Lifejacket Upgrade for 2016, a popular and highly successful boating safety initiative which is going nationwide for the first time.

It is the responsibility of the skipper of any craft to ensure that their vessel carries the appropriate number and size of lifejackets for each person on board.  On craft less than six metres, Coastguard recommends lifejackets should be worn at all times unless so directed by the Skipper.

Only 70% of boaties say they wear a lifejacket at all times on the water. This rate is highest for kayakers and canoeists (83%), and falls to just over 60% for people in power boats and 55% for people in sail boats.

The Old4New campaign aims to help save lives and change attitudes. The ‘Old4New Lifejacket Upgrade’ van will be visiting over 35 major boat ramps and locations throughout the country at weekends and on key days throughout the busy summer holiday period, laden with lifejackets.

The Old4New Lifejacket Upgrade is simple and effective: bring your old or damaged lifejacket to the Old4New team at one of the many pre-advertised locations, and receive a discount on a quality, modern and fit-for-purpose Hutchwilco lifejacket. Boaties and members of the public are encouraged to visit the van and trade in their old lifejackets, where they can also get advice about boating and water safety from the friendly team on site at each location.

“While the increasing use of lifejackets has resulted in lives being saved, the failure to wear lifejackets in small craft that are prone to capsize, especially those under 6m in length, remains the primary reason why lives are lost in boating accidents. The Old4New Lifejacket Upgrade campaign makes it really easy for boaties to ensure they have the correct number and type of lifejackets on board,” said Patrick Holmes, CEO, Coastguard New Zealand.

The Old4New Lifejacket campaign, originally based on a concept run in Australia by Transport New South Wales and launched for the first time in New Zealand in 2014, has seen over 4,000 lifejackets traded. It aims to raise awareness of the importance of lifejackets while also taking practical steps to address the issue. At the end of the campaign, Coastguard will also distribute good condition traded-in lifejackets (that still meet NZ Standards) to communities in need.

The campaign is made possible with the support of Maritime New Zealand, as well as lifejacket manufacturer Hutchwilco and kiwi vehicle distributor Giltrap Group – both proud supporters of boating safety. In addition, the Boating & Outdoors group are supporting the initiative by offering the trade-in at their 23 stores nationwide, from Northland to Invercargill, during specific weeks of the campaign.

The initiative kicks off on Saturday 3 December at 8.00am at the Half Moon Bay Boat Ramp in Auckland and continues to visit popular waterside destinations until early February 2017. For a full location schedule, visit www.coastguard.nz.

Coastguard is the charity that provides New Zealand’s primary maritime search and rescue service. The organisation operates from a network of four regions and 64 affiliated units, located around the coastline and major lakes of New Zealand. Coastguard performed over 2,640 rescues to bring 6,828 New Zealanders home safely this past year. There are 78 dedicated rescue vessels in Coastguard New Zealand’s fleet.