Bay of Plenty Times
  • Bay of Plenty Times home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Sport

Locations

  • Coromandel & Hauraki
  • Katikati
  • Tauranga
  • Mount Maunganui
  • Pāpāmoa
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Thames
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Bay of Plenty Times

Astrolabe open for fishing and diving

Sonya Bateson
By Sonya Bateson
Regional content leader, Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post·Bay of Plenty Times·
4 Apr, 2016 07:15 PM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

The Rena wreck is no longer a hazard to navigation or a hazardous ship. Photo/File

The Rena wreck is no longer a hazard to navigation or a hazardous ship. Photo/File

Fishing and diving at Astrolabe Reef (Otaiti) can resume today as the Rena wreck is no longer considered a hazard to navigation.

The Bay of Plenty Harbour Master has amended the exclusion zone to provide access for vessels under 500 tonnes from 8am today in response to the Rena's clean-up operations concluding yesterday.

Maritime New Zealand director Keith Manch has withdrawn the notices that declared the wreck a hazard to navigation and a hazardous ship.

"Significant effort has gone into salvage and safe removal of harmful substances. While some oil remains trapped in the wreckage of the vessel, most of the harmful substances contained within the ship have been discharged into the sea and have either been removed or have been, and will continue to be, monitored under the plan provided for under the resource consent."

The lifting of the exclusion zone around Otaiti has angered Motiti Island's Ngai Te Hapu, who are appealing the consent granted in February to "dump" the remains of the Rena wreck on the reef.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Ngai Te Hapu spokesman Buddy Mikaere said the group would be lodging an urgent appeal against the lifting of the exclusion zone with the Waitangi Tribunal.

"Ngai Te Hapu wishes to make it very clear that we oppose entirely the withdrawal of the notices and wish them to remain in place until the question of the creation of a marine reserve has been decided, the application for registration of Otaiti as a wahi tapu has been completed, and the appeals against the decision of the Bay of Plenty Regional Council to grant consent to dump the wreck of the Rena on our taonga reef have been heard and decided."

Mr Mikaere said opening the reef back up to fishing and diving operations would have a big impact on its recovering resources.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

A statement released by the Rena's owners, Daina Shipping Co, and their insurers, The Swedish Club, said New Zealand Diving and Salvage had completed salvage and recovery works at the reef and more than half a billion New Zealand dollars had been paid towards covering the response effort and the salvage, recovery and clean-up operations.

An access plan had been put in place prior to public access being restored, which included the launch of an Astrolabe Reef website providing information on travelling to the reef, and fishing, diving and snorkelling at the reef.

The volunteer Maketu Coastguard team has been funded to be an on site advisor at the reef for the initial period of its re-opening.

Nevan Lancaster, Rena Business Compensation Group spokesman, said it was sad that the only chance of something positive coming from the Rena, the restoration of marine life at the reef through the establishment of a marine reserve, was now being lost.

Discover more

Hospital waiting lists and CBD discussed with MP

04 Apr 11:45 PM

New reforms hit property owners

06 Apr 06:30 AM

Board leash contributed to girl's death: Coroner

06 Apr 09:30 PM

Russ Hawkins, Mount Maunganui Underwater Club captain and owner of Fat Boy Charters, said he was happy with the lifting of the exclusion and he hoped he could get out there this week.

Mr Hawkins said access to the reef was limited by weather conditions, which had stopped overfishing at the reef pre-Rena.

Modern attitudes to sustainable fishing and the increasing number of divers choosing photography of marine life over spearing fish would prevent any plundering of the reef.

Spokesman for the ship's owner and insurer Hugo Shanahan cited passages from the decision to grant consent to dump the Rena, which outlined that if the appeal to leave the wreck were successful, there was no guarantee the wreck would be removed and could lead to extensive litigation through the justice system.

***

In February, a temporary two-year closure application was filed by Motiti Rohe Moana Trust with the Minster of Primary Industries, Nathan Guy.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

A Ministry for Primary Industries spokesperson said the application had received more than 250 submissions.

"Due process requires that the trust provides feedback to MPI on the submissions received before preparing final advice for the Minister so he can make a final decision.

"MPI has consistently advised the trust that it's unlikely the information will be ready for a decision to be made before the exclusion zone is lifted [today]. It will be made as soon as possible."

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

Bay of Plenty Times

Nine Lotto players win nearly $31k each in Second Division – where tickets were sold

06 Jul 05:31 AM
Bay of Plenty Times

'He's just scared of me': Teen's Māori wards challenge to PM

06 Jul 03:55 AM
Bay of Plenty Times

Region's first learning hub for migrant parents a 'transformative step'

05 Jul 06:00 PM

There’s more to Hawai‘i than beaches and buffets – here’s how to see it differently

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

Nine Lotto players win nearly $31k each in Second Division – where tickets were sold

Nine Lotto players win nearly $31k each in Second Division – where tickets were sold

06 Jul 05:31 AM

Lotto First Division Powerball was not struck and has jackpotted to $10m on Wednesday.

'He's just scared of me': Teen's Māori wards challenge to PM

'He's just scared of me': Teen's Māori wards challenge to PM

06 Jul 03:55 AM
Region's first learning hub for migrant parents a 'transformative step'

Region's first learning hub for migrant parents a 'transformative step'

05 Jul 06:00 PM
'God-given right': Family defends largely unconsented homestead on rural land

'God-given right': Family defends largely unconsented homestead on rural land

04 Jul 08:45 PM
From early mornings to easy living
sponsored

From early mornings to easy living

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Bay of Plenty Times e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Bay of Plenty Times
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP