Maritime Transport Act 1994

Local regulation of maritime activity - Harbourmasters

33D: Regional councils to appoint harbourmasters

You could also call this:

"Regional councils choose a harbourmaster to help keep ports and harbours safe"

Illustration for Maritime Transport Act 1994

You can have a harbourmaster for a port, harbour, or waters in a region. A regional council can appoint a harbourmaster for these areas. The council must appoint a harbourmaster if the Minister tells them to. You need a harbourmaster who is suitably qualified to do their job. If there are no rules about what qualifications a harbourmaster needs, the regional council must make sure the person they appoint is qualified. The Minister's direction to appoint a harbourmaster must be in writing. A regional council can choose to appoint a harbourmaster, but sometimes they have to if the Minister says so. You can find more information about this in the Maritime Transport Act. The rules about harbourmasters are part of this act.

This text is automatically generated. It might be out of date or be missing some parts. Find out more about how we do this.

View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM5691700.

This page was last updated on 4 January 2026 — View changes

Topics:

Environment and resources > Town planningTransport and travel > BoatingGovernment and voting > Local councils

Part 3ALocal regulation of maritime activity
Harbourmasters

33DRegional councils to appoint harbourmasters

A regional council may appoint a harbourmaster for any port, harbour, or waters in its region.
Despite subsection (1), a regional council must appoint a harbourmaster for any port, harbour, or waters in its region if the Minister directs it to do so.
A direction under subsection (2) must be in writing.
If maritime rules do not prescribe qualifications for harbourmasters, the regional council must satisfy itself that a person appointed as harbourmaster is suitably qualified to perform the functions of harbourmaster in respect of the relevant port, harbour, or waters.

Compare

1974 No 66 s 650B

Notes

Section 33D: inserted, on 23 October 2013, by section 7 of the Maritime Transport Amendment Act 2013 (2013 No 84).