Protesters spend days at sea to deliver message to seismic survey ship Amazon Warrior

Protesters aboard Te Matau a Maui delivered a message to the seismic surveying ship the Amazon Warrior yesterday to leave East Coast waters. Photo/Supplied

After spending two days at sea, yesterday those onboard the Te Matau a Maui waka confronted the world's largest seismic survey ship to protest against its search for oil off the East Coast.

This comes after the Government released 49,630 km² in the East Coast offshore area as part of the Block Offer 2017 last month, and as the Hawke's Bay Regional Council propose prohibiting oil and gas exploration activities on land.

On Saturday the Ngati Kahungunu-owned waka left Napier with Ikaroa Rawhiti residents and descendants bound for the Amazon Warrior - which is contracted by oil companies Statoil and Chevron to conduct seismic surveying.

Yesterday, it converged with the Greenpeace vessel Taitu to deliver their message to the seismic survey ship - said to be the world's largest.

In a statement Te Matau a Maui spokesman Raihania Tipoki - who was onboard the waka - said they had warned the Amazon Warrior numerous times to stop surveying, but it was "now time to do this our way, kanohi ki te kanohi, face to face".

Via satellite phone yesterday Mr Tipoki said the ship had been "on the run" but was "caught" by the waka about 10am.

"We came alongside the [Amazon Warrior] and via radio calls to the Captain conveyed they were to leave our waters immediately."

Te Ikaroa spokeswoman Tina Ngata also told the captain of the Amazon Warrior they were in breach of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

Te Matau a Maui general manager Wayne MacGiliviray - acting as spokesman for the group while they were out at sea - said he was told the captain had listened to the group's message, and gave a "professional" response.

This is not the first time the Amazon Warrior has been intercepted - in January Tipoki joined a Greenpeace flotilla to confront it.

And on March 3 another waka, Ngahiraka Mai Tawhiti, delivered a similar message on behalf of his peoples of Ikaroa Rawhiti.

When asked what difference this voyage would make, Mr MacGiliviray said it would build momentum for the message they wanted to send.

"The message is really clear that they need to stop their work, and that they're not welcome," he said.

This was supported by Hawke's Bay Regional Councillor Paul Bailey, who said it was important to keep these sorts of issues at the forefront of people's minds.

The waka is due back in Napier this morning.