The man who died in a jet boat racing accident on Monday was a "determined man" who gave his family "absolute happiness".
Duayne Barry Insley, 47, known to his friends as Dweeb, from Glenorchy, died in a boating accident on the Waimakariri River in Canterbury during an international jet boat competition.
The incident happened just before 11am on Sunday, during the ITM World Jet Boat Marathon, upstream from a patch of braided river known as 'the pylons'.
Mr Insley was the navigator of the boat that crashed on the upstream leg of the race which was cancelled shortly after the incident occurred.
Duayne Insley was an outdoorsman who loved to laugh. Photo: NZ Police
The boat's driver, Dwayne Terry, escaped without injury.
Duayne Insley's wife, Deana, has paid tribute to her late husband. She said she would always rememember him as a loyal, determined man who gave her life meaning and absolute happiness.
Ms Insley said Mr Insley was her "rock" and her "soul-mate".
Duayne proposed to his wife Deana in Monaco, where he and Dwayne Terry were invited to a ceremony to collect their world title from the 2013 World Championship Jetboat Marathon. Photo: NZ Police
"He gave my life meaning and absolute happiness. We worked, lived and travelled together, but he never stopped my independence either," she said.
Mr Insley left behind three children, a brother, sister and father.
"I will miss him every minute of every day for the rest of my life. I will remember Duayne for his strong will, his determination to get things done and his no-nonsense attitude.
"Duayne's loyalty to the people and community that he loved was impeccable. He has risked life and limb for many others and has touched many hearts," Ms Insley said.
Organisers said the jet boat he crashed in was a CX class with a 525 horsepower engine, capable of speeds of up to 160 km/h.
Forty-five teams from four countries are competing in the week-long event which takes place across eight South Island rivers.
Ms Insley said her husband understood the risks of motorsport and that the boat's driver was not to blame.
"We all understood that this sport is a high risk sport, there is no blame attached, Dwayne Terry is a faultless driver. This is an accident in the true meaning of the word, it was unpredicted, and unforeseen. My heart goes out to him and his family."
Mr Insley had 15 years' experience with jet boats. He and Mr Terry count among their awards a world championship in the FX class in 2013. They have been NZ Champs twice in the FX class and have won races on every river in the South Island.
Yesterday, Jet Boat River Racing Association spokesman Paul Mullan said the jet boating community was devastated with the news.
"It's a close-knit community, it's a minority sport and despite the fact that there are four countries involved in this World Championship, everybody does know each other ... it's a tough time."
He told Morning Report all motor sports had risks associated with them and the people who took part were aware of that.
"This is one of the downsides of the exhilaration and the thrill that comes from taking part in something like this" - Paul Mullan
Mr Insley's funeral will take place on Sunday.