Labour leader David Cunliffe is vowing to make the owners of the grounded Rena ship pay the full cost of the clean-up and remove the wreck remains from Astrolabe Reef.

Speaking during a visit to Tauranga today, Labour leader David Cunliffe says a Labour government will make sure the ship's owners Daina Shipping 'pay the full amount to clean up Astrolabe Reef.”

Labour leader David Cunliffe announces Labour's intentions with the Rena.

will make sure the ship's owners Daina Shipping 'pay the full amount to clean up Astrolabe Reef.”

'The Rena's owners, the Daina Shipping Company, is expected to seek permission to leave the wreck where it lies,” says David.

'This is an insult to local iwi, Bay of Plenty leaders and Tauranga Mayor Stuart Crosby, who all want this gone.”

The containership Rena struck the Astrolabe Reef, about 25km off the coast of Tauranga, on October 5, 2011.

The ship leaked more than 350 tonnes of heavy fuel oil into the environment and broke up, spilling containers and cargo into the ocean, washing up on beaches across the Bay of Plenty.

Parts of the wreck have been removed with the bow section cut to one metre below the high tide, while the sunken aft section remains underwater on the reef.

If elected, the opposition leader says Labour will make the Rena owners pay through any means possible and reclaim 'every penny” of the clean-up.

'We will remove the wreck of the Rena from the Astrolabe Reef. In our view it's an insult to the people of Tauranga, to local iwi and to our environment to leave that potentially toxic wreck on the reef.

'For the Government to accept payment in exchange to leave it on the reef is the wrong thing to do.”

In 2012, the Government announced a settlement with Daina Shipping, with the owners agreeing to pay $27.6 million compensation to the Crown and a further $10.4 million if the company applied for and was successfully granted resource consent to leave part of the wreck on the reef.

This could leave a shortfall of about $20m on the cleanup costs, which are about $47m.

The opposition leader also questions whether it was the Government, or Rena owners, that offered the monetary opportunity of 'some $10 million dollars” in exchange for the wreck to remain.

The owners are expected to lodge a resource consent application with the Bay of Plenty Regional Council to leave remains of the ship on the reef between the end of March and May, 2014.

Labour joins a growing list of MPs and city officials speaking out in support to fully remove the wreck – including NZ First leader Winston Peters, Motiti Island iwi and Tauranga City Mayor Stuart Crosby.

On whether the Government is doing enough to protect taxpayers from current clean-up bills, David was quick to offer some support to the Bay public saying the Government needs to pick up its act.

'What we are hearing from the people of the Bay is they don't want it there and that they want their reef cleaned up. They don't want the potential for future toxic waste on their beaches or Motiti Island.”

He adds if Labour is elected, legal advice on any contractual obligations surrounding settlements already signed between the Government and Rena owners will need to be investigated.