Clash scuttles ceremony to mark wreck discovery

A bell and a binnacle recovered from the wreck after restoration.

Politics have scuttled an event to celebrate the discovery of the "ghost ship" SS Ventnor, which sank off Hokianga in 1902.

Thirteen New Zealand seafarers died and the remains of 499 Chinese men - most of them goldminers - being repatriated to their homeland, were lost in the disaster.

The Ministry of Culture and Heritage was to have this month acknowledged the Ventnor Project Group, which found the wreck about 18km off Hokianga Heads last year.

Using high-tech gear, divers descended 150m to survey the wreck.

While this feat may seem worthy of recognition, complications were probably inevitable. Two parties have competed in recent years to control aspects of the Ventnor narrative.

One is the Ventnor Project Group, led by film-maker John Albert, the other is the Chinese Historic Ventnor Group, whose spokeswoman is Rawene resident Wong Liu Shueng.

Mr Albert is making a documentary; Ms Wong is writing a book.

Ms Wong's group has publicly attacked the divers for "disturbing" the wreck, though Mr Albert insists they approached it with utmost respect.

The event in Wellington was to have centred on the presentation to Te Papa of a few items taken from the ship to identify it.

Mr Albert said the day was supposed to have been for the supporters of the non-profit dive project.

Ms Wong said she had proposed that her group also take part, but Mr Albert said that would not have been appropriate.

Items retrieved from the Ventnor remain in the care of the police.