More than 40 pilot whales die after mass stranding in New Zealand’s North Island

The Guardian · Harry Pearl · 2026-11-06 04:45 UTC

Rescuers were unable to save the whales after they became beached on a remote and rocky part of the country

More than 40 pilot whales died after a mass stranding event on New Zealand’s remote east coast, conservation officials said on Friday, despite rescue efforts by volunteers and conservation workers.

The Department of Conservation (DoC) said 43 whales had died in the mass stranding along the Ngawi coast on the south-eastern tip of the North Island.

The whales were reported to DoC just after 8am on Thursday, after which conservation staff, Maori iwi, or tribe, and volunteers tried to save them. However, “none of these whales are believed to have survived,” said Ariana Hawira, acting operations manager for DOC Wairarapa.

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