[6] By 9 October, an oil slick 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) long threatened wildlife and the area's rich fishing waters.

[10] Strong winds and bad weather on the night of 11 October caused the ship to list over to starboard 19 degrees; this resulted in between 30 and 70 containers being washed overboard.

[11] On the afternoon of 12 October, aerial footage showed a large crack in the hull, increasing fears that the ship could break in two and sink.

[13] Volunteers were warned that contact with spilled oil could lead to vomiting, nausea and rashes, and local residents were urged to close their windows to limit fumes.

[16] On 14 October, it was reported that the ship's hull had cracked in half, and the bow and stern sections were held together only by internal structures and the reef.

[19][20] Calm weather on 15 October allowed salvage experts to board the vessel and begin preparations to pump the remaining oil to a barge.

[26] The incident was not immediately brought to the public eye since it took place on the same day that well-known American businessman Steve Jobs died.

[27][better source needed] In addition, media outlets had their hands full with the Occupy Wall Street Movement that was taking place.

Reporter Karen Barlow of Lateline said that it may not be the biggest ever oil spill, but it could be catastrophic for the pristine waters of the Bay of Plenty.

Divers keep monitoring for any pieces of steel that might become dislodged and float in the tide to damage the reef, as well as the status of 5 to 10 tonnes of granulated copper trapped underneath the wreck’s hull.

The team will keep monitoring the MV Rena for the next 20 years to check it causes no further damage to the reef and any issues are identified early.

[55] On 13 October 2011, the New Zealand Labour Party announced that it would impose a moratorium on deep sea drilling for oil if elected to power.

[57] On 12 October 2011, the captain of Rena appeared in the Tauranga District Court charged with operating a vessel causing unnecessary danger or risk to a person or property.

[42] The two men, both Filipino, pleaded guilty to 11 charges between them, including attempting to pervert the course of justice (based on alleged alteration of navigational documents after the collision).

Nevertheless, marine charts show that a buoy and light have now been installed on the reef now to mark the 2 nautical mile exclusion zone[67] for vessels over 500 tonnage.

Their key concern is that they were not adequately consulted in regard to the Crown agreeing to receive $10 million as compensation for the remains of the wreck not being removed.

The government agreed to the compensation payment when a storm caused the remains of the wreck to fall off the reef onto the seabed and marine demolition experts said it was too dangerous to remove it.