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Mrs Frisbee was snared by a plastic toy that
gouged a deep cut into her neck.LIFEJACKET
SWAP SUCCESS
T
housands of unsafe lifejackets were replaced by brand
new models over the summer thanks to a Coastguard
water safety campaign.
Over the course of the 10-week Old4New
Lifejacket Upgrade campaign, more than 3,000 old, damaged
or obsolete lifejackets were traded in by boaties from 55
communities – from the Far North to the Deep South.
The campaign encouraged boaties to trade in their old
lifejackets for greatly-discounted modern, new Hutchwilco
lifejackets. Many of the lifejackets traded in were unusable
to the point of being dangerous, says Old4New community
ambassador Sue Tucker.
“A number of the old lifejackets were filled with kapok that
had become water-logged. Kapok lifejackets were common
decades ago, but today they’d be more of a hindrance than a
help in an emergency situation. Drowning is one of the leading
causes of preventable death, so it’s great to get these old
lifejackets replaced with new ones.”
Two of the traded-in lifejackets were over 60 years old, and
were still being used by their elderly owners as fit-for-purpose.
“Coastguard’s message about lifejackets is simple – take
them and wear them,” says Coastguard New Zealand CEO
Patrick Holmes. “But a lifejacket is no good to anyone if it’s
stowed away, and even less so if it’s old or in a poor condition.
Wearing a good quality, fit-for-purpose lifejacket has never
ruined a day out on the water.”
Alongside significant funding from Maritime New Zealand
and support from the Southern Trust, the Old4New campaign
was made possible by lifejacket manufacturer Hutchwilco
and Kiwi vehicle distributor Giltrap Group. In addition,
retailer Boating & Outdoors ofered the trade-ins at its stores
nationwide, further supporting the campaign.
Now in its fourth year, the Old4New Lifejacket Upgrade has
seen over 10,000 lifejackets traded-in since 2014.
Coastguard provides New Zealand’s primary maritime
search and rescue service. The volunteer-stafed organisation
operates from a network of four regions and 63 afliated
units, located around the coastline and major lakes of New
Zealand. It has more than 2,000 active search and rescue
volunteers who provide over 300,000 hours of their time each
year to educate, protect and help save lives at sea.