It has been confirmed by Kiribati authorities that there were more than 80 people on board the ferry that sank near the Pacific island on January 18.
On Sunday, seven people from the ferry were rescued after being spotted in a life raft by a NZ Defence Force P-3 Orion plane.
So far no other survivors have been found.
Of the people on board 80 are believed to be passengers, with it likely there were at least five crew members on the missing Butiraoi ferry.
A spokesperson from Maritime New Zealand told 1 NEWS that the search is continuing, although the crew of the Kiwi Orion plane are resting today and performing maintenance before launching their next search effort.
Three further aircraft from the RAAF, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority and the United States Coast Guard have also joined the search and will be continuing today.
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