The five people who lost their lives in a boating tragedy near Kaikōura on Saturday were members of the The Nature Photography Society of New Zealand.
A further six people were rescued after a collision with an as-yet unconfirmed object off Goose Bay, including the skipper.
It was a charter vessel with passengers from around the country.
In a Facebook post on Sunday morning, the society said it "is saddened by the tragic loss at sea in Kaikōura during a trip by society members that took the lives of 5 of our members".
"We do not yet know what caused the vessel to capsize and that is something that will be addressed by Maritime NZ in due course.
"In the meantime, our thoughts are with the families of those members of the society who have lost their lives."
Craig Mackle took the opportunity to thank those who assisted in the rescue efforts. (Source: 1News)
Police are providing support for those involved, and on Saturday Kaikōura Mayor Craig Mackle said the town's "heartfelt sorrow" was with those affected.
"I'd like to thank everyone involved in the rescue and recovery, being able to bring everyone home is a great result for such terrible circumstances.
"It's a small town and we did what we could," he said.
Maritime NZ investigators have started their inquiries into the accident.
"This will involve reviewing the conditions on the day, examining the vessel and interviewing people involved," a spokesperson said.
"We will conduct our investigation with the utmost sensitivity for those involved."
The police dive squad arrived at the scene around 2.15pm. (Source: 1News)
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