New Zealand solicits comments for draft oil spill response plan

The government of New Zealand announced Thursday it was soliciting comments on its national oil spill response strategy.

The 58-page draft outlines a three-tiered response system aimed at handling varying degrees of oil spill severity.

"If the scale of an incident is beyond the nation's domestic capability, arrangements are in place to secure overseas assistance," it said. "These arrangements are reciprocal, so New Zealand is expected to assist its overseas neighbors if requested."

Cargo vessel MV Rena struck a reef off New Zealand in October 2011, spilling about 2,000 barrels of oil into the Bay of Plenty. An independent review of the government's response to the incident found room for improvement in training, cross-agency collaboration and the level of community engagement.

The draft includes a lessons-learned approach to Rena, as well as the response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, in its guidance plan.

Keith Manch, director of regulator Maritime New Zealand, said independent guidance was needed to make the response plan work.

"It is very important that our strategic response to oil spills reflects modern best practice and incorporates input from our response partners as well as local communities and iwi [aboriginal communities]," he said in a statement Thursday.

The consultation period closes Aug. 25.