Operated by state-owned enterprise KiwiRail, the Interislander Aratere ferry ran aground last night near the town of Picton, on the north coast of the South Island.

“It’s great there’s been no loss of life and that everyone on board is safe,” transport minister Simeon Brown said in a press conference accessed on the New Zealand Herald news site.

“That is certainly the top priority.”

About 47 people spent the night on the ferry after it ran aground just after 10pm, the site said.

The refloating of the ferry, part of a fleet that links Wellington, the capital, and Picton is scheduled for later tonight.

An investigation into the “very concerning” incident had been launched, said Brown, who posted on X on Friday ruling out the risk of oil pollution.

KiwiRail says the fleet ferries nearly 800,000 passengers across the Cook Strait in 4,000 journeys a year.