Watch: Stewart Islanders band together to save stranded whales

New footage has emerged showing Stewart Island residents banding together to save a large group of helpless stranded whales. Photo / AP

New footage has emerged showing Stewart Island residents banding together to save a large group of helpless stranded whales.

On Friday, February 22 locals rushed into Halfmoon Bay when a pod consisting of 20 or 30 pilot whales were swimming amongst the boats in the harbour near Oban at around 4pm.

The intense video, captured by Jess Kany, the editor of the Stewart Island News and Laire Purik, of Lairka Photography, shows the whales inching closer to Lonnekers Beach and becoming distressed as they couldn't turn around.

New footage has emerged showing Stewart Island residents banding together to save a large group of helpless stranded whales. Photo / AP

Residents can then be seen running into the water and encouraging the whales back into the ocean by pushing and splashing them.

Sadly, last year in November a whale stranding occurred where 145 pilot whales died at Mason Bay.

However, this time residents were ready to save the whales.

"There are lots of unhappy stories of whale strandings," Kany said.

"Either the whales strand on a far-flung beach and by the time they're discovered it's too late to try to help them, or the whales just repeatedly turn around and re-strand no matter how many times people intervene and re-float them.

The intense video shows the whales inching closer to Lonnekers Beach and becoming distressed as they couldn't turn around. Photo / AP

"So it's nice to know about a positive outcome."

The Department of Conservation said staff and locals had tried to encourage the whales out of the bay and back into open water by using three dinghies.

No whales were seen returning the next morning.