The sentencing of Lucy Lawless and seven other Greenpeace activists has been adjourned because reparation of more than $700,000 has been sought.

Lawless, under her real name Lucy Tapert, Jan Raoni Hammer, Mike Buchanan, Shayne Comino, Vivienne Hadlow, Shai Naides, Zach Penman and Ilai Amir were to be sentenced in New Plymouth District Court today after pleading guilty to charges of illegally boarding a ship in June.

However the sentencing has been put off until November 22, a Greenpeace spokesman told the Taranaki Daily News last night.

He said the presiding judge had adjourned the hearing because police were seeking reparation.

"Greenpeace New Zealand understands that these are in excess of $700,000 and are being lodged on behalf of Shell."

He said he'd only heard of the postponement late yesterday afternoon and could not comment any further. He hoped to know more today.

The group were arrested after they boarded and spent four days on the Shell oil exploration ship Noble Discoverer at Port Taranaki in February.

The ship had been scheduled to leave the port to drill three exploratory oil wells in the Chukchi Sea off the coast of Alaska.

The group were initially charged with burglary but pleaded guilty in Auckland District Court once the charges were reduced to illegally boarding a ship.

- © Fairfax NZ News