Harbourmaster Lyndon Cleaver Shares What Life Is Like On Southland Waters

Sunday, 16 February 2025, 9:13 pm
Article: Matthew Rosenberg - Local Democracy Reporter

For Lyndon Cleaver, no two days are ever the same - but that's just how he likes it.

On a warm Saturday in February, the Southland harbourmaster is out on Lake Te Anau making sure people stay safe on the water.

The following day, he'll make a trip to Dunedin to check on a cruise ship which is en route to Fiordland.

Cleaver would ensure the vessel met its requirements for entering a UNESCO area and even stay on board until Tuesday when it arrived at Milford Sound.

Who knew what Wednesday would bring.

But Saturday, he was guiding small aluminium boat Toroa out of the Te Anau marina to check on locals who were enjoying their weekend at the lake.

He made sure swimmers were safe within a marked area near a pontoon, and flagged down a man zooming on a jet ski.

A brief chat about restrictions and the speed enthusiast was happily on his way.

While there was the odd frosty customer, Cleaver said the majority were just happy to see him out on the lake keeping a watchful eye.

It was a key feature of his role as Environment Southland's harbourmaster, a position he had held in one form or another for 14 years.

"We want everybody to go home to their loved ones at the end of the day and sadly Southland is over-represented in the number of boating fatalities," he said.

Behind the scenes, Cleaver's team worked hard to increase understanding of water safety, starting at a grassroots level.

When he began in the role, there was no boating safety programme for schools.

That had all changed and his team now brought not only their knowledge to the classroom, but also a boat for the kids to explore.

It was a fun way of sharing an important message and it seemed to be getting through.

"Once upon a time you'd come down to the likes of Te Anau, and you would see people going out on their boats and not really wearing life jackets. But now the children are keeping their parents honest."

Southland's boating habits were different to those further north, he said, with Labour Weekend and Easter bookmarking the season.

The hot spots included Bluff, Riverton, Lower Ōreti, Lake Manapouri, and of course, Lake Te Anau.

Cleaver said a lot of the people he saw around the lakes and Bluff tended to be from the rural community, taking some time away from the farm.

And there was a strange pattern he'd noticed from people who had made the trip from Winton and Drummond - they always seemed to congregate in the same part of Lake Te Anau.

Who are the biggest troublemakers?

Cleaver said Jetskis had proven a popular entry-level option for boaties, but continued to create problems because of a lack of awareness around rules.

It pointed to a wider issue in New Zealand where anyone could buy a boat with no obligation to register it or complete a safety course.

He would like to see those safety measures normalised, as well as a bit more "common sense" around alcohol use.

His parting mantra was simple: if in doubt don't go out, always let someone know where you're going, don't push the limits and come home safe to your loved ones.

It was not all about enforcing rules.

Cleaver knew that the best way of getting through to people was with a calm approach and good conversation - something he was trying to put into action every time he hit the water.

LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.

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