The wreck of container ship MV Rena will remain on the Astrolabe Reef off the coast of Tauranga after a ruling of an independent panel of Commissioners.
In a statement released today by the Bay of Plenty Regional Council, applications by the Astrolabe Community Trust for consent to "dump" the remains of the MV Rena, its equipment and cargo on Astrolabe Reef have been granted.
Consent was also given to discharge any harmful substances or contaminants from the remains of the MV Rena, its equipment and cargo that may occur over time as a result of the degradation of the vessel.
Consent has been granted "subject to an extensive suite of conditions" outlined within the 451-page decision document.
The wreck of the 236-metre cargo ship has rested on the Astrolabe Reef since it ran aground four-and-a-half years ago, in October 2011.
An independent hearing panel was enlisted to consider and decide on the application, with the hearing taking 20 days.
The Bay of Plenty Regional Council says more than 150 submissions were received in response to the application.
Chief executive of the Environment Bay of Plenty Regional Council Maryanne Macleod says there will be strict conditions surrounding ongoing monitoring.
The decision has been released by the independent hearing panel is contained within two volumes, with a full copy available here.
Greek-based Daina Shipping, the owners of the MV Rena, must adhere to these conditions over the coming years.
Daina Shipping and its insurer applied for resource consent two years ago to allow what remains of the ship to stay on the reef, due to the impracticality and cost of removal.
Daina Shipping has released a statement today thanking everyone involved in the five-week hearing.
"The next steps from here will be to carefully consider the decision and the conditions, in consultation with our New Zealand legal and environmental team, before I return to New Zealand next month," says Daina Shipping Company representative Konstantinos Zacharatos.
"We intend to continue to listen to and work together with iwi, members of the community and local authorities to discuss the decisions, including next steps in concluding the incident," he says.
He thanks all volunteers during the salvage and clean-up operation for their "remarkable efforts".
New Zealand Diving & Salvage is scheduled to complete the final stage of the debris clean-up operation in March, subject to marine and weather conditions.
The Bay of Plenty Harbourmaster will then review the two nautical mile exclusion zone which has been in place since the Rena grounded.
When the exclusion zone is lifted, and an access plan to encourage safe and responsible public access to the reef will be rolled out.
More information on the access plan can be seen here.
More than $500 million has been spent by the company clearing the debris so far.
"Those who submitted at last year's hearing and want to appeal the decision will have 15 working days to do so," says Ms Macleod.
Motiti Island resident Don Wills says the decision made sense.
"It's logical and I'm very, very relieved because now the reef can get on with its life, which has been disturbed for four-and-a-half years.
The reef s recovered from the original crash and it's fish life has recovered and let's get on with life."
Mr Wills says the Astrolabe Reef is a very important part of his fishing life, and although he would love it to be as pristine as it once was, "it became pretty obvious it would be pretty impossible to shift it all".
"It's certainly the end of the first chapter. I'm pretty sure the wreck's not going to do any harm to the reef from now," says Mr Wills.
However, Mr Wills says the reef is subject to currents, swells and tides making it dangerous for people to deal with.
"I have reservations about it being a great scenic dive attraction because it's a container ship is just a big canoe, unlike a normal ship it will be something to look at."
Local iwi will be divided over the decision.
Te Arawa ki Tai and Ngati Makino Heritage Trust say they're not prepared to comment yet, but have always supported the application to leave the Rena where it is, so as not to damage the Otaiti Reef further.
Under the Resource Management Act, anyone who made a submission has 15 working days to appeal the decision to the Environment Court.
Newshub.
