What can one say about the Rena tragedy? What contingency plans were in place for such an event, if any? It seems that, a helicopter taken from its agricultural activities, spraying a hypothetical two 45 gallon drums of previously forgotten about old Palmolive dish washing liquid onto the sea water to try and disperse the oil slick, was all that the authorities could come up with as a slow initial response.
Did the port authorities ever discuss that a boom should be kept for an emergency, or was expense a reason for not having one, contingency means – for an unexpected emergency, and by God's grace will never have to use it.
We should be grateful it was not a cruise ship that ran aground as we could have seen hundreds of small sea craft re-enacting the World War II evacuation from Dunkirk. Why isn't there a navigation radar beam, from say the Mount, which means do not go to the left of this line when coming into port. Haven't the authorities learnt anything from the history of the Titanic? Even Television Three got it wrong when they sent a boat out in heavy seas to report on the event and the reporter, on an open deck, did not have a life jacket on. (abridged)

Dave Wilson, Mount Maunganui.