A wildlife team has been scrambled to an offshore conservation haven feared to be in the path of the Rena's latest oil spill.
Orcas have been seen leaving the area where oil has spilled from cargo vessel Rena, sparking fears about the endangered species ingesting the toxic substance.
Oil has leaked from cargo ship Rena for the first time in 11 days. Maritime New Zealand (MNZ) said there had been a small release of oil overnight, estimated to be between 5 and 10 tonnes.
Boaties in the Bay of Plenty area need to beware of about 40 containers still missing, warns Maritime New Zealand (MNZ).
A Philippines-based seafarers association has accused "racist and extreme right'' New Zealanders of blaming the Rena disaster on the racial origin of the vessel's Filipino crew.
A close-up look at the Rena and the salvage team from onboard a helicopter.
Salvage crews are optimistic that fine weather in Bay of Plenty today will allow them to resume pumping oil off the stricken cargo ship Rena.
Booster pumps have been installed on the stranded container ship Rena and further pumps will be added to accelerate the rate of oil extraction.
The leasers of the Rena have pledged a $1 million "donation" to aid the cleanup, an action that has left some questioning the company's remorse.
The lessees of the Rena have pledged a $1 million "donation" to aid the clean-up - an action that has left some questioning the company's remorse.
Salvage workers are bracing for the death of the "creaking, groaning" MV Rena, now sitting precariously on Astrolabe Reef and expected to flood more oil into the sea.
The Mediterranean Shipping Company has given the Government a commitment to make a financial contribution to help with the oil clean-up operation.
Salvage workers onboard the stricken cargo ship Rena have had a tough night pumping thick, gooey oil through a 150m hose.
Act candidate John Banks says the Government's response to the Rena disaster has made it more vulnerable - and that's a reason Epsom people should vote for him.
Bay of Plenty residents finally had small cause to celebrate amid the Rena disaster when officials declared Mt Maunganui's most popular beach open yesterday.
The Government admits it has "dropped the ball'' by failing to sign up to an international convention that would have protected taxpayers by an additional $12 million for the cleanup of the Rena oil spill.
Mount Maunganui beach might be open, but the surf isn't. A section of the white sandy beach has opened today after safety measures closed the area when globlets of oil washed ashore from the cargo vessel Rena, stuck on Astrolabe Reef on the Tauranga coast.
A salvage crew is expecting to resume pumping oil from the Rena today, after small platforms were attached to the side of the container vessel grounded off the Tauranga coast.
Mark Mitchell looks at the Rena oil spill wreckage in the Bay of Plenty from the air.
Filipino authorities are rushing to send home most of the crew of the container ship Rena amid concerns for their safety and public anger towards the Filipino community.