Sperm whales die after stranding on Ninety Mile Beach in the Far North

Ngati Kuri spokesperson Sheridan Waitai asks the public to be respectful and exercise caution when visiting Ninety Mile Beach.

After three sperm whales were stranded at Ninety Mile Beach, a rāhui is now in place from Matapia Island to Te Paki Stream in Cape Reinga as a safety precaution.

Ngāti Kuri spokesperson Sheridan Waitai said on Thursday afternoon some beachgoers on Te Oneroa-a-Tōhe alerted the iwi and the Department of Conservation (DoC) about the strandings.

“We soon sent our environmental taiao group to investigate and carry out a tikanga process to make the area safe.

“We don’t want anyone to eat any food from that area in case they get sick, since after a whale dies and is flensed, it releases toxins in the water.”

Waitai said that aside from consumption, she implored beachgoers always to wear their shoes and sandals to avoid any risk of being infected if they receive a cut or scratch.

DoC concurred and said that whales were taonga for iwi as there are a lot of tikanga and protocols to be followed and that Ngati Kuri was leading those efforts.

On that day the agency’s rangers found a juvenile whale spanning seven metres, dead. Two other adult sperm whales measuring 10 metres were, however, still alive when iwi and rangers arrived on the scene.

Despite best efforts, the pair couldn’t be saved and died overnight.

Waitai said they were now doing a clean-up after their traditional harvest and collecting samples for research purposes.

“We ask people walking through the area not to take photos and post it on social media. We treat whales as our ancestors – as a person – and hence ask the public to be respectful.”

Avneesh Vincent is the crime and emergency services reporter at the Advocate. He was previously at the Gisborne Herald as the arts and environment reporter and is passionate about covering stories that can make a difference. He joined NZME in July 2023.