People planning on a boating excursion in the Auckland region this Labour Weekend are being warned of new bylaw changes around wearing life jackets.

The legal requirement from Labour Weekend will be that all people on vessels under six metres will have to wear a life jacket, unless the skipper deems it safe to remove them.

People in vessels under six metres will have to wear a life jacket.

This places responsibility for the safety of the crew and passengers directly on the skipper.

This responsibility is also clearly identified under the Maritime Transport Act, says a statement from police.

The statement says: 'The effect of this change is that the skipper will be absolutely accountable for decisions made where they deem it safe for their crew/passengers to not wear life jackets.

'If skippers make this conscious decision and something goes wrong, police will look very closely at holding the skipper personally accountable by investigating and laying criminal charges where appropriate.

'Police and our partners in general maritime safety, want all skippers to be fully aware of their responsibility and accountability, and we will be proactively enforcing this message throughout the summer and beyond.”