A man has died in a boating accident on the Waimakariri River in Canterbury as participants took part in a jet boat competition.
The Waimakariri River in Canterbury. Photo: 123RF
He was Duayne Barry Insley, 47, from Glenorchy.
The incident happened just before 11am on Sunday during leg two of the ITM World Jet Boat Marathon upstream from a patch of braided river known as 'the pylons'.
Mr Insley was the navigator of the jet boat that crashed on the upstream leg of the race which was cancelled shortly after the incident occurred.
The boat's driver, Dwayne Terry, escaped without injury.
Organisers said the jet boat was a CX class with a 525 horsepower engine, capable of speeds of up to 160 kilometres per hour.
Forty-five teams from four different countries are competing in the week long event, which started yesterday afternoon and takes place across eight South Island rivers.
New Zealand Jet Boat River Racing Association spokesman Paul Mullan has expressed condolences for Mr Insley's family and said racing would resume on the Rakaia River on Tuesday.
The death has been referred to the Coroner.
