River Rescue
NZOIA and Whitewater NZ have defined syllabuses for River Rescue Courses designed for anyone working or recreating in Class II whitewater including: kayakers, mulitsport kayakers, canoeists, pack rafteres, stand up paddle boarders and sit on top kayakers. These training courses are for recreational and professional paddlers to better enable them to safely paddle with their peers, when leading a group, or when providing an instructional or guided experience. Whitewater NZ manages Water Safety New Zealand subsidies for these courses for Whitewater NZ members.
River Rescue 1
A current NZOIA Kayak 2 holder must direct these courses. The Kayak 2 holder must also have a current NZOIA Canoe 1 to direct the Canoe version. NZOIA and Whitewater NZ recommends that a ratio limit of 1:6 be applied with a NZOIA Kayak 2 instructor and if numbers exceed this then an experienced NZOIA Kayak 1 instructor be used to assist on the course with up to 10 participants.
River Rescue 1 is a pre-requisite for participation in the NZOIA Kayak 1, Multisport Kayak, and Canoe 1 assessments.
River Rescue 2
A current NZOIA Kayak 2 holder must direct this course. NZOIA and Whitewater NZ recommend that a ratio limit of 1:6 be applied. River Rescue 1 is a pre-requisite to attending River Rescue 2.
River Rescue 2 is a pre-requisite for participation in the NZOIA Kayak 2 assessment.
Access to the River Rescue Courses:
The following organisations deliver River Rescue Courses:
You can find courses offered from these organisations and NZOIA on our Training Course Calendar.
Alternatively, you can contact an NZOIA Assessor who has Kayak 2 (and Canoe 1 if needed) and request if they can run a River Rescue Free Range Training Course for you.
