Production is set to resume progressively this week at the Maari oil field, after it was shut down last November.
The Maari oilfield in Taranaki Photo: Supplied / Environmental Protection Agency
The closure was announced after a crack was found in one of its 12 horizontal struts during a scheduled inspection.
As an interim fix, three clamps were installed on the strut and this will allow a gradual resumption of oil pumping.
Two options for a permanent solution are currently being investigated and the permanent repair will likely be completed by mid-2017.
The well operator, OMV, said the work had been approved by its insurers as well as by state regulators.
The Maari field is located 80 kilometres off the Taranaki coast at a water depth of about 100 metres.
It is operated by OMV on behalf of its joint venture owners, which include itself, the Todd corporation and Horizon Oil International.
The field was discovered in 1983 and came on stream in 2009.
