Environmental organisation Project Jonah was assisting in efforts to aid the sperm whale on South New Brighton Beach in Christchurch alongside Te Ngāi Tūāhuriri Rūnanga and the Department of Conservation (Doc).
In an update on Sunday morning, Project Jonah said the whale had died. The whale was moved on Sunday and buried near the sand dunes.
"Local iwi Te Ngāi Tūāhuriri Rūnanga have given the whale the beautiful name 'Te Koha au te ata Hapara – gift from the morning light'. Local council are also working on a planting programme in the dunes where the whale was buried," the organisation posted online.
“Large whales like this one pose a huge [logistical] challenge for a refloat due to their size and weight and often they have underlying health conditions which is likely the reason for them stranding.
“In New Zealand there have only been four successful refloats of sperm whales - the last one being in Timaru in 2020.”
Project Jonah said it was the fifth sperm whale that had died in the last month, following three strandings in Northland and one in Mahia.
It was stranded on the ocean side of a sandbar, which was too deep to walk to.
More than 1000 people were at the beach by sunset yesterday.
The organisation acknowledged the public frustrations with their “perceived inaction on the beach”.
“We were in constant discussions with the multiple agencies responding throughout the event - running different possible scenarios that prioritise both peoples safety and the whales’ welfare,” the organisation posted online.
The ID pictures of the 15-metre sperm whale are presently being matched to the comprehensive Kaikōura catalogue, but currently, no matches have been discovered.
Project Jonah is an environmental organisation dedicated to the protection of whales, dolphins and seals and the oceans they call home.
Whale or dolphin strandings can be reported to the Doc emergency hotline 0800 DOC HOT (0800 362 468) or 0800 4 WHALE (Project Jonah).
-With NZ Herald
