CounterSpill

In what many call New Zealand's worst environmental disaster, a oil tanker ran aground on Oct. 5, 2011 and spilled 93,000 gallons of oil in the Bay of Plenty. The captains of the ship were eventually found negligent. The true impact of the spill remains unknown.

These hand-selected articles give an overview of what happened down under. 

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"Oil Spill Disaster On New Zealand Shoreline" 

By various AP, Getty and Reuters photographers

In this photo roundup, various photographers capture all angles of the disaster -- from crash to cleanup. Pictures document rescue efforts of nearby wildlife, spill response amid ocean waves, and the oiled shore -- once a playground, now a graveyard.

"Rena Still Throwing Its Worst At Salvors One Year On"

By Jamie Morton, New Zealand Herald

Although there are signs of wildlife recovery and a $1 million grant for the study of the spill was confirmed, salvors continue to work on cleaning up debris even a year after the crash. It's a project so precarious, project leaders name it one of the ten most difficult jobs they've ever seen. 

"$12m Clean-up Fund Deliberately Wound Down"

By Clio Francis, Fairfax NZ News

Although put in place nearly a decade before the disaster, the Oil Pollution Fund was found to have millions less than expected. Why? Because officials said there weren't enough spills in the region to constitute a fund of $12 million. Now when they needed it, it wasn't there.

"New Zealand Counts Wildlife Cost From Oil Spill"

By Neil Sands, AFP

Of course, the most vulnerable victims of non-renewable energy disasters are the ones without a voice. This report reflects on the ecological toll of this disaster on the local wildlife -- and the humans who try to save them.