Whale stranding on Māhia beach likely caused by ocean predator, DoC and iwi plan burial

A 6-metre male pilot whale has died after beaching at Māhia’s Blue Bay, Opoutama, on Thursday morning.

Senior ranger community David Lynn from the Department of Conservation (DoC) said the whale appeared to have sustained injuries, possibly from an attempted predation.

“The animal unfortunately died quite soon after beaching at Māhia,” he told Hawke’s Bay Today.

“Iwi and DoC are working together to arrange burial of the pilot whale.”

The animal was spotted close to shore about 9.30am by Hawke’s Bay field officer Ariki Hubbard, who was in the area for work.

Hubbard said she noticed three other people standing on the beach looking out to sea, and realised they were watching a whale that was “real close” to the shore.

The whale appeared injured and died shortly after beaching. The Department of Conservation and iwi are collaborating to arrange the whale's burial.

It was the first time she had ever seen a whale.

“It was exciting and sad at the same time because I was wondering what to do. How do we get it back out to sea?”

Pilot whales are one of the largest members of the dolphin family, but they are treated as whales for the Marine Mammals Protection Regulations.

They are named pilot whales because it is thought each pod follows a “pilot” in the group.

While females can live to about 60 years, males typically live between 35 and 45 years.

DoC encourages members of the public to report sightings of whales to the conservation hotline at 0800 362 468, or report a sighting online.

“Reports of sightings are always valuable, and help increase our knowledge of whale distribution and movements around New Zealand.”