Ms Battson, who is a former Queenstown Lakes district councillor, is refusing to wear a life jacket because she considers them hot, uncomfortable and unnecessary for those, like herself, who only paddled in good weather, near the shore, wearing a leg rope.
She demonstrated her preferred paddleboarding style, sans life jacket, on Christmas Eve.
Council harbourmaster Marty Black told the ODT yesterday he was considering issuing Ms Battson with an infringement notice, provided he had firm evidence.
In response, Ms Battson described Mr Black as "a very mean-spirited person''.
"I thought telling me I was 'bloody stupid' was insulting enough without doing that.''
However, she conceded she was likely to pay a fine, if required.
She suggested the council should consider not renewing Mr Black's contract because of the "unfriendly'' way he enforced bylaws.
Mr Black said that while patrolling Lake Hawea yesterday, he came across four paddleboarders, all wearing life jackets, who commended him for "getting the message out there''.
A Queenstown paddleboard instructor and advocate Paul van der Kaag said he considered the council's life jacket rules were out of line with the rest of the country.
Mr van der Kaag accepted all paddleboarders should wear a life jacket, but not in the way the council stipulated.
Last summer, he said, the council allowed paddleboarders to wear an uninflated life jacket around their waists that could be put around the neck and inflated if necessary.
However, that had changed this year.
"They're wanting us to wear them around our necks, deflated.
"And we're sort of saying, the rest of the country is happy with the [personal safety device] designed to be worn around your waist.''
Mr Black said the council bylaw stipulated a life jacket must be worn on all vessels less than 6m, and an uninflated life jacket worn around the waist did not fit the description of a life jacket.
