The legal basis for rules Rules are made by the Minister of Transport, pursuant to the Maritime Transport Act 1994. The Director of Maritime Safety also has the power, pursuant to the Maritime Transport Act 1994, to make emergency rules in certain circumstances.
Rules form part of New Zealand maritime law, and compliance with the rules is therefore required.
Failure to comply with the rules can be an offence under regulations and under the Maritime Transport Act 1994. The MSA's role in rule-making One of the functions assigned to the MSA under its performance agreement with the Minister is the development of the rules on behalf of the Minister of Transport, which includes drafting the rules, advertising the availability of drafts in newspapers and in the New Zealand Gazette , and assessing submissions. The rule-making process was introduced in 1995 when the Maritime Transport Act 1994 came into force. The process enables people to have a say about what rules are made and their content. All draft rules include information on who to send your comments to and the date by which you should aim to have your submission in.