Category: Public Media

Source: Radio New Zealand

Principals fear many of the 15,000 senior secondary students who failed to reach the critical NCEA reading, writing and maths benchmark last year will give up on school or future study.

Figures provided to RNZ by NZQA showed nine percent of students in Year 13 and 15 percent of Year 12s had not achieved the literacy and numeracy co-requisite by the end of 2025.

That equated to about 5000 Year 13s and 10,000 Year 12s who would not receive any NCEA certificates because they had not yet met the requirement.

While most Year 12s would return to school for Year 13, principals told RNZ many of those who failed to meet the co-requisite were likely to lose heart and give up.

The achievement rates were the lowest in the past five years and principals warned they were likely to drag down the number of school-leavers with NCEA qualifications – in 2024 the number of school-leavers without a qualification hit 16 percent.

• Students leaving school with no qualifications highest in a decade

Porirua College principal Ragne Maxwell said some of the students who failed to achieve the co-requisite were in fact literate and numerate, but struggled to pass online exams in reading, writing and maths.

“The concern really is that some people are failing who are literate and numerate,” she said.

“It’s very difficult because they lose hope. It’s all very well to say just keep trying but the resilience to keep trying time after time when you just keep failing, it’s really challenging.”

Maxwell said students who failed were not likely to return to school to keep trying to pass the co-requisite.

Ragne Maxwell RNZ / John Gerritsen

“People who might have come back otherwise who have failed perhaps again in the case of Year 12 – failed in Year 11 … they’re giving up hope and not returning.”

Maxwell said the achievement rate would worsen in 2028 when the alternative pathway for meeting the literacy and numeracy requirement – 20 credits on top of the 60 required for an NCEA certificate – ended and the only way of achieving the co-requisite would be through the online tests.

“We’re just going to see more and more people failing, leaving school with no qualifications and having worse futures as an outcome of this, even though some of them are in fact literate and numerate,” she said.

Co-requisite achievement was lowest in schools serving the poorest communities.

Only 74 percent of Year 12s at those schools met the co-requisite by the end of last year, down from 85 percent in 2021 and for Year 13s the achievement rate was 88 percent, down from 93 percent.

Simon Craggs RNZ / Luka Forman

Papakura High School principal Simon Craggs said the figures were concerning.

Craggs said he hoped senior students who did not have the co-requisite would return, but he feared some would not.

“We’re very much hoping that most of them will come back and I think a significant proportion will, but there will be some students who get disillusioned that they’ve completed Year 12 and they have no qualifications and feel that they’re locked out of qualifications who will leave school.”

Craggs said the co-requisite had a bigger effect on qualification achievement at his school than at others last year.

“Our number of Year 12s that don’t have literacy and numeracy is significantly higher than the national figure or even the equity index band figure, so we’ve got a lot of work to do to support those students to be able to come back.

“Hopefully we don’t lose too many of them and we can continue to work hard with them on getting them across the line so they do leave school with qualifications.”

Mākoura College principal Simon Fuller said his school had NCEA achievement rates above 90 percent last year, well above the average for schools in similar communities.

He said students in Year 11 and some in Year 10 attempted the online reading, writing and maths tests, but those in Years 12-13 reached the benchmark through the alternative pathway of 20 extra NCEA credits in literacy and numeracy.

Simon Fuller RNZ / John Gerritsen

Fuller said the older students would not have performed so well if they had attempted the online tests.

“Those students haven’t had the benefit of the minister’s investment in structured literacy or numeracy,” he said.

“So they wouldn’t have performed so well, I believe, in sitting that external [exam] without the prep work.”

He said the tests were not well suited to schools in poor communities, neurodiverse students and many boys.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

A world class museum on Canterbury’s picturesque Banks Peninsula will mark 50 years of hosting the South Island’s biggest and longest-running Waitangi Day commemorations on 6 February.

The Okains Bay Māori and Colonial Museum has one of the most significant historical collections in the country.

The museum and annual event were the brainchild of the museum’s founder Murray Thacker, whose passion for preservation formed the foundation of the vast 20,000-object collection of Māori and colonial artefacts, from waka to wagons, taonga puoro (traditional Māori instruments), kitchenalia, a blacksmiths forge and hei tiki.

The first Waitangi Day commemoration was held at the museum site in 1976 when an open day raised funds to finish the buildings, with the museum officially opened a year later on Waitangi Day 1977.

Manager Nigel Intemann said it was difficult to explain the significance of the Okains Bay collection to first-time visitors.

“You can imagine going to a metropolitan museum, you’re going to expect a really amazing collection, but to visit a small town like Okains Bay with so few residents, to come across such an extraordinary collection of national significance, it’s just amazing,” he said.

Intemann did not know the museum existed until he moved to the bay in 2020.

“Of course my first trip out here, I wondered why I’d never been here, then coming through the museum and absolutely realising that every New Zealander should make this journey,” he said.

The annual Waitangi event has traditionally been co-hosted with iwi, including a formal powhiri, kapa haka and hangi.

During the 1980s and early 1990s when the Ngāi Tahu claim was before the Waitangi Tribunal, the commemorations were an important platform for the iwi.

Since the late 90s, the iwi began alternating hui at each of the papatipu marae closest to the sites where rangatira signed Te Tiriti at Ōnuku, Te Rau Aroha and Ōtākou marae.

Ngāi Tahu and mana whenua Te Rūnanga o Koukourarata still play intrinsic roles in the museum and the commemorations but during years they are unavailable to co-host, such as 2026, the event becomes a family fun day without a powhiri or hangi.

The first event raised money for the whare taonga roof and was run as a fundraiser over many decades. In recent years, in line with tikanga, it has become a free event.

Intemann said fundraising was always front of mind, despite the day’s popularity and the museum’s national and international significance.

“Funding is one of the hardest aspects, especially in terms of paying bills. People like projects, they love to give you money for a new project, but if you keep building projects, you keep building costs in. Finding the money that keeps the lights on, that keeps the rates paid, is a continual effort,” he said.

On 6 February, blacksmiths fire up the forge, the three-tonne waka Kōtukumairangi is paddled up the Ōpara Stream and competitions including the famous tug o’ war are held in the museum courtyard.

The waka will not be launched this year because of an early high tide but will be on display in the whare waka.

Nor will there be one of the event’s highly sought after hangi in 2026, which feed 500 to 750 people.

However, a 150-year-old colonial oven will pump out hundreds of buns, sausages will be sizzled and stalls sell everything from kai moana to local cheese and wine.

The museum began as Thacker’s private collection, as the great grandson of some of the earliest Pākehā settlers in Okains Bay.

Board chair and Te Runanga o Ngāi Tahu representative Helen Brown said Thacker was drawn to history from an early age, collecting his first toki (adze) pounamu at the age of 9.

He would go on to amass a vast collection of taonga, from the prestigious – such as hei tiki and taiaha – to the less coveted mahinga kai (food gathering) equipment, which has seen the museum possess one of the best collections in the world of objects like nets, hinkai (eel traps) and kō digging sticks.

Brown said Thacker forged important relationships with Ngāi Tahu and Mātāwaka leaders from Ōtautahi (Christchurch) and Te Pataka o Rakaihautū (Banks Peninsula), who had a role in establishing the museum and discussed hosting an annual Waitangi commemoration.

“The Ngāi Tahu rangatira who supported the Waitangi Day commemorations at Okains Bay in those early years were very keen on the opportunity to educate people about Te Tiriti. There was always this idea of education and both tangata whenua and tangata tiriti coming together that was integral to Murray’s vision and was wholeheartedly supported by tangata whenua at the time,” she said.

While the first official Waitangi Day commemoration was held at the treaty grounds in 1934, 6 February did not become a public holiday until 1973 when the name was changed to New Zealand Day.

The Waitangi Day Act 1976 restored the former name, the same year Thacker held the first commemoration at Okains Bay.

Brown said the small museum punched above its weight.

“We care for three collections recognised as being of national significance. The jewel in the crown is the taonga Māori collection, there’s also a really significant antique arms collection and a collection of European boats,” she said.

Plans were underway to redevelop parts of the museum buildings, which were no longer fit for purpose, to protect its precious displays, and a fundraising campaign would be launched in the lead up to the museum’s 50th anniversary on Waitangi Day in 2027.

Visitor host Raukohe Hallett (Ngāti Hine, Tūwharetoa, Ngāti Kahungunu) said the opportunity to show visitors so many historical objects and tell the stories of the people who used them helped to bring the past alive.

Museum patron Nigel Hampton KC, who has been involved with the museum almost from its inception, described the Waitangi Day atmosphere as jubilant.

He said Thacker was ahead of his time in recognising the importance of commemorating beyond the treaty grounds.

“He saw individual events should be held up and down the country and started a trend to have that occur 50 years ago, before the museum was even properly created,” he said.

The museum’s collection of taonga Māori was “up to or beyond the standard of the country’s major metropolitan museums”.

“One of the outstanding things is that so much of the collection is on display, available to be seen and to be explained, and it’s the conversations – and I meant this quite sincerely – you as the viewer can have with the exhibits. They’ve got to commune with you and you with them and you get a much better understanding of the culture that lies behind and in those taonga,” he said.

“As a pākeha, you come to have a better understanding of the people that were here before our predecessors arrived.”

Continued support for the museum was vital, Hampton said.

“It seems extraordinary doesn’t it, that a small valley – not somewhere you pass through and stop but that has to be a destination – that such a place can have such a museum, such a treasure for all New Zealand. We must retain it,” he said.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

As February begins we enter the last weeks of summer. It’s been a season of extremes, with record-breaking temperatures and heat warnings at the start being swept away by the devastating storms just after the new year began.

Following the warmer, settled weekend, you could be excused for wondering is summer making a comeback?

The short answer is most likely but it’ll be a bit of a roller coaster.

What is coming?

Niwa meteorologist Chris Brandolino said the start of February, although still uncertain, could bring dry clear weather for parts of the country.

“I think the theme for the next sort of probably week, maybe two weeks, is for much of the country, there is likely to be pretty dry conditions.”

That being said, Monday night and through to Tuesday will bring some rain for both islands before clearing out from Wednesday.

The West Coast will be the first to get some rain which would then move to the east coast, particularly Canterbury.

“They could be seeing a really significant drop of rain, now ahead of that rain it’ll be quite warm,” Brandolino said.

MetService had placed heavy rain watch on Fiordland and Westland south of Franz Josef Glacier until Monday.

There is also a heavy rain watch in Marlborough south of Seddon and Canterbury north of the Rangitata River until Tuesday night.

From Tuesday the South Island could see some cooler weather but in the upper north, Brandolino said it would be “grossly humid”.

“So Waikato, Bay of Plenty, Northland, Auckland, it is going to be a hot day.”

But a hot day does not mean a dry one because most of the North Island can expect “pockets of rain” on Monday and Tuesday.

“Because of that warmth and humidity, especially that tropical humidity, there could be some localised heavy showers. But it’ll be localised, it won’t be kind of a widespread thing.”

Despite the rocky start to the week, from Wednesday onwards most of the country was expected to have a “dry lean”, with the exception of some rain in Southland.

Temperatures on a roller coaster

The South Island was still in for a roller coaster ride with temperatures bouncing up and down.

Brandolino used Christchurch as an example saying the temperature could hit 30 degrees on Monday, but could also struggle to hit 20 on Tuesday.

Hawke’s Bay was forecast to see 28 degrees on Monday and Auckland was set to heat up to 28 degrees.

“So this is the up and down sort of roller coaster weather pattern in terms of temperature that’ll be especially prevalent for the South Island. The North Island will still see some variability, but it won’t be as wildly as dramatic as the South Island.”

“The upper North Island, so places like Auckland, places like Northland, they’re more likely to find kind of a steady, persistent sort of like summertime feel.”

Is La Nina still a thing?

New Zealand is currently experiencing La Nina conditions.

Brandolino said February and March have historically been the busiest times of the tropical cyclone season, irrespective of La Nina.

The late summer period sees the warmest ocean temperatures around New Zealand and up to the north of the tropics.

“Warm water is fuel. You need more than that, of course, to get a tropical cyclone, but that’s a key ingredient.”

When La Nina conditions are active, it plays a role in which areas are favoured to see tropical cyclones.

“What it does is it tilts the odds towards something developing between, say, Fiji and the Queensland coast.”

What about those storms brewing in the Pacific?

Brandolino said there had been tropical activity in the pacific, particularly between Fiji and New Caledonia, which had the possibility of moving towards New Zealand and causing a rainy Waitangi Day weekend.

The activity dissipated over the weekend, giving the country a much greater likelihood of a rain-free long weekend.

The impact of this tropical activity will instead be a wave of humidity.

“So, the reason for the warmth and humidity for the North Island on Monday is because what is left over of that tropical low, let’s call it, that was to our North, it’s going to make its way over the North Island.”

“I would say Waitangi is looking promising for people who want to get outdoors from much of the country.”

Brandolino said with so much changeable weather on the horizon, it was important keep up to date with the latest forecasts.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

The muse for an iconic Dunedin statue has come face-to-face with her bronzed younger self nearly 60 years later and half a world away.

Catherine Lee was 9 when she posed as Wendy from Peter Pan for British sculptor Sir Cecil Thomas OBE in London.

The statue has been a beloved part of the Dunedin Botanic Garden since the 1960s, and on Sunday, Lee shared her experiences during a public talk before fairies and pirates descended for a Peter Pan-themed storytime picnic.

For Lee, now 68, seeing her younger self immortalised in bronze was like a homecoming.

She has been wanting to visit the sculpture for years and said seeing it was an arresting sight.

“I just remember taking this sharp intake of breath, sort of going ‘oh my god, it really exists on the other side of the world. It’s there. It’s me’. So it was a really heart stopping moment,” she said.

It all started nearly 60 years ago when her father answered a small ad posted in the window of a local shop.

She met Sir Cecil Thomas OBE, who gave his approved, before she started posing in his studio in South Kensington after school on Wednesdays.

She had to kneel on a hard stepladder with her arms out diagonally, looking upwards to capture Wendy in ‘flight’.

“Very precarious for the model,” Lee said.

It was incredibly uncomfortable so she could only hold the pose for 10 minutes at a time, but she enjoyed the overall experience, she said.

She never got to meet the two boys who posed as her brothers or the dog who sat in for Nana, but had a photo of the sculpture sitting on her mantle.

“Peter Pan has just always been a part of my life and I’ve read it obviously. We did the play at my school and I was the understudy for Wendy, but I actually played one of the Lost Boys,” she said.

“It’s sort of woven into the fabric of my life.”

Although this was her first New Zealand visit, she already knew the sculpture had made an impression – it is one of two Peter Pan-themed sculptures in the garden.

“When a friend of my father’s visited Dunedin and told the ladies in the gift shop that she knew the Wendy model, she was showered with free postcards of the statue with a message to the ‘Wendy Child’ written on the brown paper bag containing the postcards,” she said.

Lee did not get paid for the experience, but said Sir Cecil was extremely kind and good to her.

“He talked me a little bit like an adult, I think, and it made me feel quite grown up.”

Pirates, Wendy Darling and a Tinker Bell or two joined the Peter Pan storytime picnic.

Dunedin resident Katy Sinnott said generations of her family had loved the sculpture, including her mum.

“She has memories of them here when she was a child, and so it was really fun to bring my kids back to see them,” she said.

Sinnott grew up watching the Disney movies and reading the books and was excited to share that with her kids.

She spent the night before making a Tinker Bell costume for her 3-year-old daughter Sophie and they watched Peter Pan.

“Sophie loves the Peter Pan one and she loves seeing all of the Lost Boys all around the bottom and fairies and things like that, and pointing out little mice. And obviously, sitting on Nana the dog,” she said.

Ann remembered visiting the statue with her children during the school holidays.

“My children loved coming here to the gardens and the reason that dog’s nose is quite polished was partly their doing,” she said.

The sculpture – along with another Peter Pan sculpture by Sir Cecil – were the result of a donation by Green Island resident Harold Richmond.

Dunedin Botanic Garden manager Catherine Bradley said he was known for being a frugal man, but he loved to give back to the community.

He used to take orphans on outings.

“At the end of his outings, he would give the children a copy of the J.M.Barrie Peter Pan book. It was something that was very nostalgic to him and he thought all children should have the pleasure of reading, she said.

Wendy and her Attendants, also known as The Darling Children Learning to Fly, had been an iconic part of the garden for decades, she said.

“People come here with their grandchildren and children and share memories of when they were children, sitting on Nana the dog. It’s a very well polished sculpture which is what the purpose was for … for members of the public to enjoy,” she said.

There were not many sculptures in the garden, and Bradley said it was important that those included were a place for people to stop, take in their surrounds and spark joy or reflection.

She was delighted Lee could visit and share her experiences.

It was made possible in collaboration with the Dunedin Library and Friends of the Dunedin Botanic Garden, as well as through the generosity of Lee, Bradley said.

Since her Wendy days, Lee has studied in Oxford, ran a small opera company in Italy before returning to join the British Civil Service and eventually become the director-general in charge of policy at the Ministry of Justice.

She was a Commander of the British Empire in 2012 for her services to justice, and received the medal from the now King Charles III.

Lee flies home on Monday, but said the reunion had been the highlight of her trip.

“It’s so familiar, it’s been a really nice sort of homecoming.”

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Source: Radio New Zealand

New rules allowing GPs and nurse practitioners to prescribe drugs to treat ADHD increase the risk of over-diagnosis, over-prescribing, addiction, psychosis and other harms, some clinicians are warning.

Christchurch hospitality worker Caity became increasingly anxious in the month after starting on ADHD medication.

“I just couldn’t shut my brain off at night, so I went 11 days without sleeping, which was definitely not fun.”

Then the TV started talking to her.

Caity had been prescribed atomoxetine by her GP while on the waiting list for an ADHD assessment.

It is not a controlled stimulant drug like Ritalin – but in rare cases, it can also trigger psychosis.

Admitted to Hillmorton Psychiatric Hospital, she was discharged too quickly.

“At that point I still believed probably about 50 percent of my psychosis, but I wasn’t a danger to myself or others so they didn’t really have a place for me.

“I was back within a month, and they were like ‘What happened? Why did you stop taking your meds?’ And I was ‘I don’t know’.”

Caity has since been diagnosed with ADHD but does not currently take medication, and has not had another psychotic episode.

Prescriptions rising

Since GPs lost their authority to prescribe stimulants in 1999 – due to worries about the potential for abuse – only psychiatrists and paediatricians have been able to initiate treatment.

Yet prescriptions for ADHD medications increased more than tenfold in the last two decades.

Wellington psychiatrist and addiction specialist Dr Sam McBride said it was “inevitable” that having more prescribers (GPs and nurse practitioners) would lead to more prescribing – and more negative impacts.

As happened now, some drugs would end up being “diverted” into the hands of people who had not been prescribed them, he said.

“A certain number of people come to harm from abusing them. A small proportion will develop addiction in the context of exposure to stimulants.

“We can expect a small number of people to have psychosis precipitated by these medications. And we can also expect some people will have physical effects due to exposure to stimulants.”

Those physical reactions could be short-term, like an irregular heartbeat, or become chronic, long-term problems.

There was also a risk to the wider health system: high demand for ADHD services could take “scarce medical resource” away from other parts of the health system.

“We’ll see the development of private providers meeting the need. And I’m unclear whether we’ll see the equity gains that were intended from the changes.”

Accused of ‘drug-seeking”‘

The lack of capacity in the public health system in the last few years has forced many people to pay hundreds or even thousands of dollars for an ADHD assessment.

Bella* waited more than nine months and paid nearly $1000 for an ADHD assessment by a psychiatrist – but felt “let down” by the experience.

“He said something along the lines of ‘a lot of people come in and try to get diagnosed so they can re-sell the medication’. It was like he had an idea of what I was trying to do that was completely inaccurate.”

Bella said she had already told the doctor she was not interested in medication, she just wanted a diagnosis.

“I cried throughout most of that session because I thought I was finally in a space where I was going to get answers and support, and to be put down in that way … I wasn’t expecting that at all.”

Three years on, she remains “really hurt” by the experience.

“I haven’t gone for a second opinion because I’m honestly worried that I won’t be seen for who I am or the mental hurdles that I overcome each day.”

However, she has researched widely and found her own ways to mitigate some of the problems, including turning off social media notifications, exercise, proper sleep and good food.

“It’s a lot of work and can be tiring, but the results have really paid off. I’ve also gone to therapy to work through some of the more ingrained habits and thought patterns, and I’m learning to accept myself and encourage the positive aspects of ADHD.”

She thinks she will “most likely” go to her doctor for a second opinion at some point, but is in no hurry.

It’s ‘big business’ – psychologist

A psychologist who worked at a private clinic specialising in neurodiversity said she left after witnessing “unethical and lazy practices”.

There were clinicians who treated it like “a box ticking exercise” or ignored red flags.

“I saw people being diagnosed that I am confident did not have ADHD and when I raised it, it was like I was stepping out of line,” said the woman, whom RNZ has agreed not to name.

In one devastating case, a teenager died of suspected suicide within weeks of being diagnosed with ADHD.

The psychologist believes no one adequately explored what was really going on for him.

A proper assessment should involve digging deep into family history, home-life, school, relationships, what trauma (even intergenerational trauma) could be involved.

“I don’t want to discredit it as a genuine diagnosis but I am really skeptical about the diagnostic framework, particularly as used by clinicians who claim to specialise in this area.

“It’s being used as an explanation for people’s difficulties too easily without considering other things.”

It was hard to say “no” to a client or parent who was desperately seeking a diagnosis, she said.

“There’s also a financial incentive to give people the answers they want.

“You’re talking about a private business that’s incentivised to keep clients on, send them onto the psychiatrist. It’s big business, and it’s concerning that the public don’t know that, you’ve got very vulnerable people coming in.

“It’s very frightening because the consumer has to come in with a lot of knowledge if looking for a diagnosis for themselves or their child.”

Furthermore, the huge pressure on mental health services meant there was also political pressure to get people seen quickly, she said.

“I’m really concerned about this pathway of making it easier and faster for less qualified people to diagnose ADHD.”

McBride said when a diagnosis was correct and properly managed and people were “well supported”, stimulants were useful.

They could even reduce the risk of people engaging in other addictive and risk-taking behaviour, he said.

However, they did not work for everyone, and treating ADHD was often much more complicated than just popping a pill.

“And I’m concerned that at present there’s been really little consideration given to monitoring any of these issues, educating the public about these issues, educating clinicians about these issues, and looking to contain some of these harms.”

Ministry to monitor

The Ministry of Health said only vocationally registered specialist GPs and nurse practitioners who had knowledge and skills in ADHD assessment and treatment would be able to diagnose and start patients on stimulant medicines.

“They must be confident they can do this safely, follow accepted clinical guidelines, and meet the professional standards set by their regulatory authorities.”

Prescribing would continue to follow “existing regulatory and clinical guidelines to ensure quality care and prevent misuse”.

“As with any regulatory change implemented by the Ministry, we will continually monitor the new framework to mitigate any risk.”

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Source: Radio New Zealand

The recovery of a catamaran that grounded at Akaroa on Banks Peninsula is expected to begin on Monday.

The Black Cat Cruises catamaran was beached at Nīkau Palm Valley Bay, after it got into trouble on Saturday afternoon – requiring more than 40 people to be rescued.

Environment Canterbury (ECAN) said the first phase of the recovery operation – fully submerging the catamaran in deep water to prevent further damage – is expected to get underway on Monday.

The second phase to remove it from the water, depended on the weather and safety requirements, it said.

ECAN said it was working with the Conservation Department, iwi, and Black Cat Cruises on the recovery and salvage, while the Transport Accident Investigation Commission said it would be investigating.

Black Cat Cruises was approached for comment.

Longtime tourism operator, Tony Muir – who runs Coast Up Close – said the grounding hadn’t put a hold on scenic tours, but the exclusion zone around it, had changed what’s offered.

“Where they have it is right in the marine reserve, right at one of the highlights of the marine reserve.

“[On Sunday] afternoon we took a tour to the south, which is just fine as long as the weather conditions are fine… it’s a beautiful trip.

“But… this is one of the jewels in the Akaroa crown, where this vessel has been positioned.”

ECAN said the vessel was more significantly damaged than it anticipated and it was likely that all the fuel on board had leaked into the water.

It said the environment was coping, with oily sheens decreasing over time, and there were no signs of wildlife in distress.

A spokesperson said no fuel was able to be pumped out of the boat due to the nature of the incident.

“Most was discharged (likely in the early stages of the incident) due to the significant damage to the hull.”

Muir said it “wasn’t an ideal situation” but accidents happened and commended the crew for getting everyone off safely.

“It’s [now] up to all the powers that be to lessen the impacts the best they can.”

Following the near-sinking, Muir took his boat out on the water and helped with the clean-up.

“We went around and picked up a whole lot of rubbish, and plastic gloves, and puke bags and bits and pieces that had floated off it – we picked up quite a lot of that stuff just to get it out of the water.”

Fellow tour operator, Roy Borelli of Fox II Sailing Adventures, said he also scooped up some of the Black Cat’s debris.

He said his yacht, with 24 passengers on board, was one of the first on the scene on Saturday.

After a “wonderful sailing trip” where they’d been surrounded by dolphins, seeing the vessel was a bit of a shock.

“It was very… distressing seeing the boat listing. Because I’ve seen that boat almost every day that I’ve been working for the last 20 years.

“I know that boat. So, when you see it slowly sinking it’s very, very upsetting.”

He said he was one of many boats to offer assistance but ultimately wasn’t needed, and believed the catamaran ran itself aground to prevent it from sinking further.

Borrelli said there was still plenty of wildlife outside of the exclusion zone.

“We don’t know how long this is going to last, but it’s still an amazing harbour, and we have so much to see.

“We typically see dolphins, penguins, seals, and albatross on many of our trips.”

ECAN said the exclusion zone around the boat remained in place, and all non-response vessels must keep clear.

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