Maritime New Zealand (MNZ) has completed an investigation into the death of a crew member on a Korean fishing trawler.
The vessel was operating in New Zealand waters, near the Auckland Islands, when the man was killed while operating a winch to haul in the fishing net.
The trawler is operated by Northland Deepwater Limited and is half owned by Ngapuhi.
But MNZ spokesperson, Steve Rendell said Maritime powers were limited because the ship was registered in a foreign country.
He said the crew were not subject to New Zealand health and safety legislation.
That meant what while MNZ had completed an investigation and passed on safety tips to the crew for future use of the winch, the matter could end there.
The Government was working on new legislation which would require similar foreign vessels to register in New Zealand in the future.
