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strong>New Zealand First leader Winston Peters is throwing his weight behind calls for complete removal of the Rena claiming anything less portrays New Zealand as a maritime pushover to the world.

'This is a half-hearted approach and not what was expected of them – have they no respect for the New Zealand environment,” says Winston.

'We want every last scrap of the Rena, innards and all, off our coast.”

Winston Peters visited Tauranga to speak with party faithful ahead of this year's election. Photo: Luke Balvert

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.

In a day-long visit to Tauranga to speak to the party's faithful ahead of the 2014 general election, Winston is adamant the Rena needs to be completely removed. He says it is unacceptable for the owners and insurers to attempt to leave the broken up wreck in an 'environmentally benign state”.

'They suggest that removing more of the wreck is too challenging and too technical, this looks like they are taking the easy option and dumping the remains on New Zealand.

'It must go. The Rena was one of our worst shipping disasters and threatened to permanently damage our coastline and affect all the marine species that thrive in our waters.”

When questioned about any knowledge of Ngai Te Hapu representative Buddy Mikaere's allegations of secret deals between the Government and the owners and insurers, the MP confirms he is aware of the allegations and says they are 'alarming”.

In January, Buddy told SunLive iwi hope to have their claim for full removal resolved by March, but things are stalling due to what he alleges are documents between the Government and Rena owners and insurers being kept confidential.

The iwi's claim seeks to recommend the Government enforce the removal notice issued by Maritime New Zealand to the owners of the Rena in October 2011.

In the course of preparing for the claim, Buddy says iwi found out about three confidential agreements signed between the Crown and the owners.

'I can't prove that, but it's an alarming allegation,” says Winston.

'I know Mr Mikaere and he's not the kind of person to say these things if he didn't have some evidence to back them up.”

Winston says to do anything less than total removal sends a signal to the world's maritime community that New Zealand is a pushover and readily accepts lower standards than the rest of the world.

And with one of the most pristine coastlines in the world, it is evident after the hundreds of hours spent by volunteers to clear the mess, that Kiwis want the wreck gone, he says.

Tauranga – 2014 election

Heading into this year's general election, Winston is confident there is going to be a NZ First candidate to contest the Tauranga seat alongside National's Simon Bridges and Labour's Dr Rachel Jones – and independent MP Brendan Horan.

But he will not be drawn on any rumours or speculation surrounding the identity of the candidate, stating he has 'no personal information” on the topic, but the party is not going down without a fight.

'There's a lot to shoot for here in the next few months in this campaign and we are going to be campaigning seriously hard here,” says Winston

'Brendan Horan hasn't got a hope in Hades in the Tauranga seat so he's not the one we are worrying about. You have got to ask why one of the most exciting cities in the country is down in the bottom half of the earning ratio of this country.”