27 August – By Frank Marvin in ‘Scene.co.nz‘

“A Queenstown whitewater expert is calling on maritime cops to regulate riverboarding.Stefan Crawford, 41, was speaking after last week’s harrowing trial of Mad Dog River Boarding and owner Brad McLeod after the Kawarau River death of English tourist Emily Jordan in April, 2008.

Crawford says Maritime New Zealand polices rafting and jetboating but not riverboarding – and they should. “I’d like to see MNZ become more actively involved with riverboarding and sledging to work towards some similar regulations to benefit the industry.”

Other than prosecuting health and safety breaches – like Mad Dog’s – MNZ has a hands-off approach to riverboarding, whose only sanction is a voluntary industry code….”

More of the article appears: here

For more about the death of Emily Jordan and Mad Dog River Boarding who were said to have been operating in a “regulatory vacuum” please see pages: Emily Jordan

Mad Dog later changed its name to The River Boarding Co.

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