Organisers say a sculpture unveiled on Saturday in Mount Maunganui will serve as a lasting reminder of the country's worst maritime environmental disaster.
Two years ago the container ship, Rena, grounded on a reef in the Bay of Plenty, spilling hundreds of tonnes of heavy fuel oil onto beaches.
The sculpture by local artist Peter Crammond is made of Oamaru stone and depicts the release of penguins that were looked after at the Rena Oiled Wildlife Recovery Centre following the spill.
The New Zealand Garden and Art Festival director, John Beech, who helped select the work, says the sculpture is testament to all the volunteers who helped in the aftermath of the disaster.
Mr Beech says he hopes the work will be a quiet reminder of the environmental impacts.
