The Robbie Burns statue in the Octagon, Dunedin, is sporting a life jacket to mark Safer Boating Week, which ends on Friday.
The Otago Regional Council and Dunedin City Council are backing the week, and ORC chairman Stephen Woodhead warns there is no room for complacency, as warmer weather approaches.
Twenty-seven people died in recreational boating accidents in this country last year.
Safer Boating Week aimed to ''change the behaviour of those who go out on boats and think an accident couldn't happen to them. On any day, it could'', Mr Woodhead said.
The national campaign is led by Maritime New Zealand, and backed by regional, city, and district councils.
Hundreds of people used Otago's coastal waters, harbours, lakes, and rivers for boating recreation each week, and thousands were on the water during the summer holidays.
Mr Woodhead urged boat users to ''pause and run through a few basic steps to help ensure they, their friends, and families will be safe'' this summer.
Weather conditions could change suddenly, and boat users could face strong winds and high waves on some Otago lakes, as well as on the coast.
''Some of our beautiful lakes can blow up and become very dangerous very quickly.''
More than two-thirds of all New Zealanders who drowned when boating could have survived by wearing a life jacket, he said.
For people boating on the Otago Harbour, the regional council
offers general safety and navigation advice, including a downloadable guide at www.orc.govt.nz on the ORC internet site.
Safer boating
• Prepare your boat and ensure it is safe.
• Check you have the right safety equipment and it is working.
• Ensure you know the ''rules of the road'' on water, and check local bylaws before going out on a boat.
