Surfbreak Protection Society has put a submission into the Waikato Regional Council Navigation and Safety Bylaws. The Navigation and Safety Bylaws look at all the navigable waterways in the Waikato Region. Within this region there are two formal surf zones one at Raglan and the other at Whangamata.

The Surfzone at Raglan was placed over Whale Bay and Ngarunui in 2003. This was a result of a submission by a group of Raglan surfers and was endorsed by the Waikato District Council. In 2006 a surfzone was included over the Bar at Whangamata. This was a result of local surfers submitting to Navigation and Safety Bylaws firstly in 2003 and again in 2006.

The surfzone at Whangamata is problematic. Where surfers paddle out is also the entrance to the estuary for boats, jet skis, kayaks etc. The Whangamata Bar, though stable, is also a dynamic natural feature – the Bar shifts around. How to map a shifting surfzone is a situation that the Regional Council and Surfbreak are still working on.

Navigation and Safety Bylaws apply in every regional Government area in New Zealand where there are navigable waterways. Every three years the Regional Councils review these bylaws and submissions are open to the public. The regulatory framework of these by-laws and public review are the Local Government Act 1974 and the Maritime Transport Act 1994.