About 145 pilot whales have died following a mass stranding at Mason Bay on Stewart Island. DOC Up to 145 pilot whales have stranded and died on a remote beach on Rakiura/Stewart Island over the weekend. Grover said there was usually at least one "significant" mass stranding a year. The biggest recorded pilot whale stranding was an estimated 1000 whales at the Chatham Islands in 1918. DOC has notified Ngāi Tahu of the Mason Bay stranding and is working with the iwi on what to do next.

Source: Stuff November 25, 2018 22:33 UTC