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Prime Minister John Key is not wading into the debate on the future of the Rena wreck saying it is a decision for Bay of Plenty residents and the Environment Court.

At this afternoon's media stand-up the Prime Minister was quick to deflect questions on his position on the resource consent application lodged by the Rena's owners and insurers to leave the remaining wreck on Astrolabe Reef.

Prime Minister John Key during the media stand up at Village Childcare, Bethlehem.

The questions come after the Bay of Plenty Regional Council yesterday accepted the four volume consent application lodged on May 30.

A 40-day submission process on the application will open to the public on Friday.

The Prime Minister says the Government does not have a position on the Rena's future and says it is something the Bay of Plenty public need to have a say in through the submissions process.

'My view is that the regional council and Environment Court need to make those decisions. It wouldn't be overly helpful if I jumped in, in the middle of a process that is ongoing. The most important thing is people do put in their submissions,” says John Key.

'If people don't agree with the decision the regional council makes then ultimately the Environment Court is the place to test that.”

With business-owners yet to be compensated for the losses suffered after the Rena, owned by Daina Shipping and insured by The Swedish Club, struck the Astrolabe Reef in October 2011, John Key has not seen any particular claims but believes steps towards recovery are being made.

A group of 53 business owners, who say they lost more than $5 million in the summer of 2011, are hoping mediation with the Rena's insurers over two days next week will move things along.

There's currently a live legal claim for a total of $11.5-12 million, which is being mediated on June 16-17.

The total of $11.5-12 million is made up of the Business Action Group's claim of $5.5 million (for their 53 claimants) and the claims from an additional 15 claimants.

Of the total $5.5 million being claimed by the Business Action Group's 53 members, the smallest claim is for $18,000 and the largest is for $520,000.

'Ultimately these things are never easy. It's a great tragedy in terms of the Rena and the impact it had for some of those businesses, but I think everyone in question tried to work as quickly as possible to get everything restored,” says the Prime Minister.

'Exactly how big those claims are I don't know, but ultimately it's really a matter for the insurers and the individual companies.”

He says the Government is not in a position to try and persuade the owners to re-look at the issue of compensation and would be 'amazed” if nearly three years on people are still facing such impacts.

'In reality the Rena's an issue which had substantial impact on the area at the time, but I would have thought for most part people would have moved on from there.”

The containership hit the 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.

The bow section, which was stuck fast on the reef, has been cut down to 1 metre below low tide. The stern section slid down the reef into deeper water and is posing a more time consuming, difficult and technically challenging task for salvors.