Safer Boating: Come Home Safe Teenage Daughter

Boaties are a tough crowd.

And by the time they’re on the water, well, it’s too late to remind them to throw on a lifejacket, check the marine forecast, or carry two ways to call for help.

Too many of our boaties are heading out on the water and failing to come home.

We needed a plan. So we created a deal.

We tapped into the power of ‘true’ influencers, friends and whānau who could help us convince boaties to adopt safer behaviour. Kids can often persuade their dads to do things that even their partners or best friends can’t, like putting on a clean shirt or pulling on a lifejacket.

So we gave them a platform to speak up, encouraging them to become advocates for the three safer boating rules.

Come Home Safe Deals

‘Come Home Safe Deals’ is a lighthearted take on legal documents, a contract that loved ones make with their favourite boatie before they head out.

If the boatie promises to wear a life jacket, carry two ways to communicate, and check the weather forecast, their kid, partner, or friend promises to clean up after the dog, share their secret fishing spots, be nice to the in-laws, and more.

A serious safety message delivered with a friendly smile, which was brought to life in a suite of charming radio ads where family members, and mates, reminded their loved boaties of what they would be willing to sacrifice to make sure they came home safe.

We then drove listeners to an online portal where they could make customised digital contracts, at comehomesafe.nz.

The ‘Come Home Safe Deal’ has received nationwide attention, getting the thumbs up from the National Safer Boating Forum, Government Ministers, and key NZ Olympians - as well as making it to national primetime news.

More importantly, New Zealanders are rallying behind the cause, helping more boaties return home safely from the ocean.