The KiwiRail ferry, Aratere, ran aground on the evening of 21 June 2024 while undertaking a freight sailing between Picton and Wellington. At the time, there were 39 crew members and eight passengers on board. The vessel grounded at Titoki Bay in Picton Harbour.
The ferry was refloated the following evening. There were no oil spills and no breaches to the vessel’s hull because of the grounding.
The event followed changes to a safety‑critical steering system on Aratere.
In June 2025 Maritime NZ prosecuted KiwiRail for breaches under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015. KiwiRail pled guilty to charges under sections 48 and 36. KiwiRail was sentenced on 4 May in the Wellington District Court.
Maritime NZ’s investigation found failures in KiwiRail’s change‑management processes and organisational controls, including training and familiarisation, documentation, control of critical steering functions, and bridge resource management.
“Steering systems are safety-critical. The crew must have a clear understanding of how the systems work and how to override any automatic commands,” Maritime NZ Director, Kirstie Hewlett, says.
“In this case, there was a clear knowledge gap about how the newly installed steering console worked, including in an emergency.
“This event sends a clear message to operators to ensure Masters and crews are properly trained and provided sufficient time and opportunity to familiarise themselves when introducing safety critical equipment, so that they can correctly undertake all safety critical actions on the vessel.”
Sentencing notes:
The judge ordered KiwiRail to pay a fine of $375,000 and $25,000 costs. It was sentenced under sections 48 and 36 of the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015.