PEPANZ spokesperson John Pfahlert says "alarmists" trying to connect the emerging oil spill from a grounded ship off Tauranga with oil drilling need to draw breath and let the experts deal with the crisis.

"This accident is looking serious. But it isn't enough for the alarmists. Their agenda is to magnify and misconstrue the facts; to raise concerns about oil drilling that are completely irrelevant to the current situation.

"A shipping mishap posing a significant environmental threat occurs in New Zealand on average every couple of years; whereas there has never been a significant spill from an offshore oil well."

He said containment and extraction of the oil leaking from the ship may be possible, but the reality is a physical beach cleanup could be required, depending on weather conditions and ocean currents.

"The alarmists ought to hold their tongues and let the people with the experience and knowledge get on with dealing with this very real event," Mr Pfahlert said.

The current incident highlighted that the greatest threat of a significant oil spill in New Zealand water is from a ship, not from oil drilling.

"The petroleum industry is proud of its safety record in New Zealand and is working with the government to ensure New Zealand health, safety and environmental safeguards are world's best practice."