Hire agreement & waiver template.
Your company, the clauses you need, a form your customers can sign. Then have it checked by a local lawyer.
Hire, consumer and liability law have their own rules in New Zealand. This template is a starting point we wrote in plain words; we make no claim that it is valid or enforceable where you operate.
Template, not legal advice — have it checked by a local lawyer. Opens the print dialog: choose “Save as PDF”, or print straight away. Print at 100 %.
Two New Zealand rules worth knowing
Keep a record of every hire
For hire and drive boats, the owner must keep a record of the hirer's full name, address and signature, the date and time the boat went out and came back, and the number of people the hirer declared (Maritime Rules Part 40A, r. 40A.75(1)). The template has fields for all of these except the number aboard — add it under “Your own clause”.
Maritime Rules Part 40A, r. 40A.75(1) · www.maritimenz.govt.nz/media/4qgplugn/part40a-maritime-rule-currentpdf.pdf · 2026-10-18Tell people why you collect their information
When you collect personal information from someone, take reasonable steps to make sure they know it is being collected, why, who will receive it, and the name and address of who collects and holds it (Privacy Act 2020, information privacy principle 3). The data clause covers those points in plain words.
Privacy Act 2020, IPP 3 (Privacy Commissioner) · www.privacy.org.nz/privacy-principles/3/ · 2026-10-18Official sources, checked 2026-10-18. Regional bylaws come on top (Boat hire rules in New Zealand) — and that is what the lawyer is for.
Questions
Is this hire waiver legally binding?
We can't tell you that, and nobody can without knowing your business and where you operate. It's a template, not legal advice: have a local lawyer check it and adapt it before you use it.
What should a watersports hire agreement include?
Typically who hires (identity and contact), what (craft and equipment), when (start and return time), where (the allowed area), the hirer's declarations (swimming, experience, health), the safety rules (lifejacket), damage, weather and recall, liability, and how you use their personal data. Tick what you need.
Can a waiver exclude all liability?
Not what the Consumer Guarantees Act gives consumers: Consumer Protection (MBIE) says a business that tries to contract out of it commits an offence under the Fair Trading Act. The template only limits liability to the extent the law allows; a lawyer can tell you what else applies.
Can customers sign it on their phone?
This template is for paper. A digital hire agreement, signed in the VesselSOS app, is planned for Fleet (SOON).
More free tools
Fleet for your craft
Know where every hire is.
VesselSOS Fleet is the hire dashboard we're building with pilot operators for the 2027 season: check customers out by QR, see every hire live on one map, call them back when the wind turns. Their phone is the tracker.