The Aratere ferry is seen grounded and surrounded by tug boats near Picton on 21 June 2024. Photo: Samantha Gee
New Zealand First is questioning whether staff negligence caused the grounding of the Aratere.
The Interislander ferry ran aground near Picton just over a fortnight ago.
On social media site X, the coalition party questioned the cause of the crash.
"Is it true that the Aratere ran aground when someone put the autopilot on, went for a coffee, and then couldn't turn the autopilot off in time when that someone came back…?" the post read.
"If so, why haven't the public been told that?"
In a statement, Maritime New Zealand said the speculation was unhelpful.
"Conjecture around the cause of the incident is unhelpful, as the cause of the incident is currently being investigated by both Maritime NZ and TAIC [Transport Accident Investigation Commission].
"These investigations will determine what occurred to cause the vessel to ground."
Interislander executive general manager Duncan Roy refuted the party's claim, saying there were enough staff at all times.
"We would not normally respond to speculation while an investigation is underway. However, we can say that there is a regulated number of qualified people who need to be in attendance on the ship's bridge at all times, and we meet this without exception - including on the night of the grounding."
No further comment would be made while the formal investigations were ongoing, he said.