UPDATE: The fishing boat has now been refloated and was being towed to Bluff, however with weather conditions forecast to deteriorate and the boat taking on water, it has been diverted to Little Harry Bay on Stewart Island for shelter and to allow the team onboard to continue to pump water from the vessel.

Coastguard Riverton and Bluff has been called to a fishing boat grounding on rocks at Whenuia Hou Codfish Island, west of Rakiura Stewart Island.

Emergency services were notified at around 9:45am today (14 Nov).

Police said they were monitoring the situation and Coastguard were working to have the vessel towed back to shore.

It is believed that everyone on board is currently safe and the boat is not taking on water.

The Harbourmaster has also been informed and is supporting the response.

No environmental contamination of diesel or oil is believed to have taken place.

Whenuia Hou Codfish Island is nationally significant, both as an ancestral homeland to Ngāi Tahu and a wildlife sanctuary to the critically threatened flightless kākāpō.