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LATEST: The Rena response team has been grilled by about 300 anxious residents at a community meeting in Tauranga.
Heavy swells are lashing the stricken container ship as it lists on a 15 degree angle, placing its cargo at risk of falling into the sea.
The ship was listing 11 degree to its port side yesterday and had become more stable today, leaning at about three to six degrees, MNZ said.
But it has since toppled over to its starboard side, and was this evening on a 15 degree lean. Swells of up to five metres were pounding the ship.
Fears the ship would break up and its 1368 containers fall in to the sea have been growing as bad weather continues.
At a press conference today Smith said oil was hemorrhaging from the ship's punctured hull at "fivefold" the rate it was immediately after its grounding.
"Significantly more oil" was expected to reach the northern end of Papamoa early tomorrow morning, MNZ said.
Fifty-three dead birds have been found and 17 have been treated by the National Oiled Wildlife Response team
The public is advised not to touch the dead birds and to avoid all contact with oil that has washed ashore as it is highly toxic.
Transport Minister Steven Joyce told the public that Tauranga residents could expect to see oil washing up on beaches for months to come.CLOSE ENCOUNTER
It was confirmed tonight that the Rena had a close encounter with another vessel on October 2, three days before it was grounded on the reef.
The master of the Torea ship told MNZ that it had to take a 360 degree precautionary turn after the Rena overtook the vessel in the early hours of October 2.
It was described as being a “purely precautionary turn” to give the Rena more sea room.
This new information will be included in the MNZ investigation into the ship.