An investigation into how a fishing boat capsized off North Cape, killing five people, is about safety not apportioning blame. the chief investigator says.
File photo of the Enchanter fishing boat Photo: enchanter.co.nz
Five men died and another five were rescued after the Enchanter capsized on Sunday night.
The five who died have been confirmed as Geoffrey James Allen, 72, Michael Patrick Lovett, 72, Richard Eldon Bright, 63, and Mark Keith Walker, 41, all from Cambridge, and Mark Kenneth Sanders, 43, from Te Awamutu.
A team of Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) staff will speak to survivors, those who helped prepare the boat and securing any documentation or other evidence about the boat itself, chief investigator Harald Hendel said.
He told Morning Report the boat hasn't sunk yet but its salvage is a matter for others.
The investigation was not about blame, but identifying safety lessons to be learned.
"This is about maritime safety, precautions ... what were the preparations for weather or boat safety, equipment on board, navigational equipment, all those sort of things.
"Its about getting an understanding of what happened simply to avoid it happening again" - TAIC chief investigator Harald Hendel
Northland Emergency Services Trust pilot Lance Donnelly rescued five survivors on Sunday and said the operation was one of the most challenging of his 30-year career.
Three survivors found on a piece of debris were winched on board and returned to land, and the helicopter returned to pick up two more people who were on the upturned hull, he said.