The Coastguard Federation says the carrying of personal flotation devices should be mandatory on all boats, waka included.
But president Kerry Stenhouse, of Auckland, stopped short of saying it should be mandatory to wear lifejackets on waka.
Many boating groups and regional councils also thought flotation devices should be carried but not necessarily worn, said Mr Stenhouse.
"We've always promoted lifejackets as being crucial bits of safety equipment, and of course some regional councils have taken it up as well and say it's mandatory to carry personal flotation devices for every person on board ...
"I'm not sure a waka should be exempt from that philosophy," he said.
The Maritime Safety Authority this week stopped short of recommending that lifejackets should be mandatory on waka when it released reports on three waka accidents over the Christmas holiday period.
While it did not recommend a change of maritime rules to require the wearing of lifejackets or use of buoyancy aids on waka, it did recommend the development of formal safety guidelines for waka operations.
Mr Stenhouse said the federation was not involved in the authority's investigations, but would support any efforts to improve safety.
"If that group felt the Coastguard could make a contribution, then we're definitely willing and very interested ... But primarily our aims are to promote safe boating practice and any group wanting to put guidelines together we would support."
He said many large waka were very stable and robust but that did not mean they were necessarily safer in an accident.
"My concern would then be if there were non-swimmers and they got separated from the waka.
"Without having a personal flotation device they could get into difficulties."
- NZPA
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