Eight people have been arrested after boarding an oil company's support vessel in Timaru in an environment protest.
Over the weekend the group boarded the Skandi Atlantic, which is acting to support a rig for Austrian oil company OMV.
Protesters told media yesterday they were "ready to stay for a long time", with sleeping bags and tents set up on board.
Today, eight people were arrested for trespassing.
Extinction Rebellion's New Zealand branch said two men were cut from the boat's railing, after "[putting] their bodies on the line to stand up against war and climate criminals".
A spokesperson for the New Zealand Police told 1 NEWS that it's unclear if the protesteos will be formally charged.
Eleven protesters remain aboard the vessel as the protest continues, a spokesperson for environmental activist group Greenpeace told 1 NEWS.
The New Zealand Government banned new oil and gas exploration permits in 2018, however OMV was awarded the permits before the ban came into force.
When 30 protestors first boarded during the weekend, the company told media it hoped to resolve the situation harmoniously.
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