Latest news with #HaurakiGulf
RNZ News
03-07-2025
- General
- RNZ News
Boats barred from mooring at Little Barrier Island after caulerpa discovery
Caulerpa covers rocks in Okipu Bay, on Great Barrier Island. Photo: Luka Forman All anchoring around Auckland's Little Barrier Island in the Hauraki Gulf has been stopped immediately after an invasive seaweed was discovered. Caulerpa has spread across northern New Zealand since it was first discovered four years ago. Biosecurity New Zealand's director of pest management John Walsh said the discovery of patches of the weed on the north and east coasts of the island was disappointing. The ban, known as a Controlled Area Notice or CAN, is to stop its spread further. He said the weed could be inadvertently moved when small pieces were caught on anchors, anchor chains, and fishing/dive equipment. Ngāti Manuhiri is placing a rāhui over the area. Meanwhile, Local Democracy Reporting reported the government was throwing more than $6 million at developing world-first industrial-scale technology to fight caulerpa as it was confirmed in the Bay of Islands for the first time earlier this year. It was found at six sites, Northland Regional Council confirmed in March. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
24-06-2025
- General
- RNZ News
Chokyu Maru No.68 grounding: Poor seamanship, failure to carry proper charts led to Hauraki Gulf grounding
Failures of basic seamanship led to the grounding of a Japanese fishing boat in Auckland's Hauraki Gulf last year, the Transport Accident Investigation Commission has found. Photo: Supplied / Auckland Harbourmaster Poor seamanship and a failure to carry proper charts caused a Japanese fishing boat to hit rocks in the Hauraki Gulf last year, an investigation has found. About 3.40am on 16 April 2024, the Chokyu Maru No.68 was approaching Auckland when it struck The Noises, a group of islands about 25km northeast of the city. The ship sustained a small hole in its bow and damage to its propeller, but none of the 27 crew on board was injured and there was no oil leak or other environmental damage. The 48-metre vessel was refloated later that morning and towed to port for repairs. The grounding sparked an investigation by the Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC), which released its findings late last week. Acting chief investigator of accidents Louise Cooke said it was a "textbook example" of what could happen when the basics of good seamanship were ignored. "Basic seamanship is the core issue of this accident. Crew leaders must always plan the voyage, know the hazards, and verify position. This isn't optional, it's basic good seamanship and it's required all over the world," she said. The TAIC report found the Chokyu Maru No.68 had left Japan without large-scale paper charts - in particular a crucial chart showing the approaches to Auckland - or nautical publications setting out the safest route into Waitematā Harbour. The longliner also left Japan without a formal voyage plan. In the absence of detailed paper charts, the master relied on the chart plotter to determine the ship's position. However, electronic charts for New Zealand had not been installed, so the plotter did not display the small islands of the Hauraki Gulf. The TAIC investigation also found only one of the vessel's two radar units was in use at the time, because the crew believed the second unit was broken. It was in fact working, but the settings were unsuitable for identifying hazards. Without detailed charts or information about navigational risks, the master set a straight-line course to Auckland in the mistaken belief there was safe water all the way. The TAIC report stated it was "virtually certain" the crew would have identified the hazards and plotted a safe course, had they prepared a voyage plan in advance using proper charts and publications. The key lesson from the Chokyu Maru No.68 grounding was the "fundamental importance" of a well-researched and documented voyage plan. Since the accident, Cooke said Maritime NZ had taken steps to improve the safety of foreign-flagged fishing vessels in New Zealand waters. She said Maritime NZ inspectors now had better tools to identify and address safety issues, thanks to better access to world-wide data and the inclusion of fishing vessels in the international inspection regime. TAIC investigations aim to establish the cause of transport accidents and prevent similar incidents happening again. They do not seek to assign blame or lead to prosecution.
RNZ News
11-06-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
Auckland's new electric ferries set to make waves worldwide
Auckland Transport's first electric ferry has touched water for the first time. Workers began the slow process of bringing the vessel from the McMullen & Wing shipyard factory floor into the nearby Tamaki River in Mt Wellington early Wednesday morning. The first of two fully electric ferries will undergo technical tests here over the coming weeks, before trialling its seaworthiness inside the Hauraki Gulf. "In about a month's time we'll be taking it down the river and charging up at Auckland Transport's new charging station in Half Moon Bay," said EV Maritime chief executive Michael Eaglen. "Then we'll be doing trialling more broadly on the Hauraki Gulf, which we're expecting to be handing over to Auckland Transport in probably around about three months' time. "These are highly automated boats, so you test all the automation systems, take it to the point where we can then hand it over to Auckland Transport who can bring their operator on board and get into crew training," he said. Auckland Transport ferry programme director Nathan Cammock said the main route the EV Maritime ferries will run will be between Half Moon Bay and downtown Auckland, although they may take the occasional trip to Devonport and Hobsonville Point. "They're designed for mid-harbour routes so those are routes between 30 to 45 minutes journey time." "These two new electric vessels will service the Half Moon Bay route and we may see them go to other destinations over time," said Cammock. He said each boat cost about $20 million. "The New Zealand government has provided the biggest contribution around two-thirds of the cost of each vessel, the remaining third is split between NZTA Waka Kotahi and Auckland Council. "So a lot of parties have come together to make sure this project is successful," he said. The first work on the boats began in 2022 and they could begin service before the end of year, although Auckland Transport said there was still no fixed date for when commercial sailing will start. "We're not keen to rush it, we want it fully tested and commissioned and any issues are worked out so when it's handed over to Auckland Transport its working as expected," said Cammock. The fully electric ferries were designed by EV Maritime, while the propulsion technology was created by HamiltonJet in Christchurch. The ferry is made from carbon-fibre composite will be able to reach speeds of up to 25 knots - or 46 km/h - with a capacity of 200 passengers. The ferries are expected to have a lifespan of more than 30 years. Auckland Transport said the batteries were anticipated to have a lifespan of about 10 years before requiring a replacement. Although Auckland Transport did expect newer, lighter and higher-capacity batteries to be available as technology advances. The EV Charger that will be used at the ferry terminals can operate at roughly 10 times the speed of a Tesla supercharger, rated at up to 3.3 megawatts. The ferries will charge while passengers board and disembark, needing 10 minutes of charge time to have enough power for a one-way journey. It is expected they will do eight return trips per day, meaning they will need to charge 16 times over the course of a day's service. McMullen & Wing director David Porter said today's launch was a success and showcased the strength of New Zealand innovation. "The day is a milestone in which we can show the world what is possible and I know there are people out there for some time, looking to ride on these ferry boats and be convinced that it all works," he said. "There's scepticism always in new technology but today we've taken a real step in proving that we're on our way." "There's a great team in the background, I don't build the boats, we've got a team that do. Michael's (Eaglen) team does the design work and it all fits in together and we've got a great group of really good contractors," said Porter. The New Zealand designed and made electric ferries were also world leading. Eaglen said the eyes of the world were eagerly watching the project, with only two or three other similar ventures known internationally. "This is a really high-profile project from an international ferry world perspective, as I said, there's been a lot of vehicle ferries electrified, but very few fast passenger ferries," he said. "We've got a lot of people very keenly aware of what we're doing here and very much looking forward to coming down here. "It's believed to be the first one going into a really rigourous, high-frequency core public transport service and it's also the first one to be using the new megawatt charging standard, which I think is going to be the new standard for electric ferry operations around the world. "So this is a really important demonstrator for EV Maritime as a project for our kind of export ambitions. "We're really grateful to the government and to Auckland Transport for supporting us with putting their faith in us for these first projects and helping us get these first boats in the water and demonstrated because that's how you grow an export industry, and that's what we're trying to do here," said Eaglen. Cammock said they were keen to support launch what could be a new industry for New Zealand. "It's a great example of New Zealand innovation... a great opportunity for a technology export industry to grow off the back of New Zealand's existing maritime industry. "EV Maritime have been proactive in the market and have got some early contracts overseas and we're looking forward to supporting that with these new boats going on the water," he said. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
21-05-2025
- General
- RNZ News
Removal of council bins has increased rubbish
life and society about 1 hour ago As of May last year Auckland Council had removed more than 2300 public rubbish bins as a cost cutting measure. Auckland Council's website describes Musick Point as an 8 hectare reserve near Buckland's Beach, with spectacular views over the Hauraki Gulf. But locals are concerned the vista is being blighted by an increase in rubbish dumped around the reserve, a problem they believe is linked to a lack of bins. Liz Domett spoke to Lisa Owen.
The Guardian
15-05-2025
- The Guardian
Rare footage shows tuatara and takahē having 'a bit of a scrap' in New Zealand
A takahē and a tuatara have been filmed engaging in a bush-floor stoush in a new video captured by a quick-thinking New Zealand Department of Conservation ranger. Filmed on pest-free Tiritiri Matangi Island, the video shows New Zealand's unique nature at its quirky best and highlights the value in protecting it. Although historically both the flightless bird and the reptile were widespread across New Zealand, they now only coexist in two locations, Tiritiri Matangi in the Hauraki Gulf and Zealandia in Wellington
