Cash drive for Rainbow Warrior III

An illustration of the third incarnation of the Rainbow Warrior, which is being purpose-built in Poland. Photo / Supplied

The third Rainbow Warrior is to take to the water next year.

The 25th anniversary of the bombing of the original Greenpeace flagship in Auckland was in July and the organisation is calling for New Zealand support for Rainbow Warrior III.

Bunny McDiarmid, executive director of Greenpeace, said the third Rainbow Warrior would "not only carry the name but it will carry on the spirit".

Rainbow Warrior III is being built in Poland and the protest group hopes it will be finished by October next year.

Greenpeace has already received $100,000 in donations but needs $400,000 more.

On October 20, the organisation is holding an auction to raise money for the new vessel.

People from around the country have donated items to the auction to assist in the fundraising.

A morning tea with Shortland Street stars and paintings from prominent New Zealand artists are included.

Ms McDiarmid, who was a crew member on the original Rainbow Warrior, said the new boat was a necessity for Greenpeace as the Rainbow Warrior II was 57 years old.

"She is very old and the amount of work we had to put into her was not becoming worth the effort," she said.

The original Rainbow Warrior was bombed in 1985 by French intelligence agents to prevent it from protesting at Mururoa against nuclear tests there. The ship now rests at the bottom of Matauri Bay in Northland.

Ms McDiarmid said the new campaigning vessel would be an integral tool for Greenpeace and it would sail all over the world.