Prime Minister John Key yesterday assured the public that his government was moving quickly to deal with the crisis caused by the grounding of the container-ship Rena.

The Government has been criticised for its inaction, and Key has been accused of taking a hands-off approach towards the maritime misadventure.

But Mr Key told the media a few funny stories and then smiled.

He also had an anecdote about his days as a currency trader that made even the most cynical hard-nosed journalists chuckle.

If the container ship breaks up then over a thousand tonnes of oil could be spilled into the sea. In the event of a break-up much of the oil would wash up onto the shores of Mt Maunganui, destroying wildlife and causing an environmental catastrophe.

Mt Maunganui residents are concerned that the disaster could destroy their pristine beach.

However, Mr Key remarked that he holidays in Hawaii every year and that their beaches were unaffected.

He also accused the Labour Party of being behind the wreck.

Labour leader Phil Goff denied the claim, but speculation is mounting that the maritime disaster may be the final straw for concerned Labour MPs.

With the party well behind in the polls, questions are mounting as to why Labour did not do more to prevent the wreck.

Questions are also being raised about Labour’s handling of the European economic crisis, and whether the party could be doing more to prevent an economic meltdown in the Euro zone.

Mr Key has told environmentalists not to concern themselves with the wreck.

“If the ABs win the World Cup in two weekends’ time, what more fitting tribute could there be than for the beaches of Mt Maunganui and Papamoa to go All Black?”