Cruiseships in New Zealand have been told to dim their lights at night after a flock of seabirds flew straight into a vessel last year.

About 70 dazzled Buller's Shearwaters hit P&O's 70,000-gt Pacific Jewel (built 1990) and ended up stunned on the deck.

Crew boxed them up and delivered them to the Department of Conservation (DOC) in Auckland, but 33 died and more were injured.