Officials are urging people protesting against the seismic survey ship Amazon Warrior to avoid putting themselves and others in danger.
Greenpeace has said it has breached a 500-metre non-interference zone around the vessel and dropped people in the water ahead of it, forcing it to take evasive action.
Last week the Hawke's Bay-based Te Matau a Maui waka confronted the world's largest seismic survey ship to protest against its search for oil off the East Coast. It came after the Government released 49,630sq km in the East Coast offshore area as part of the Block Offer 2017 last month, and as the Hawke's Bay Regional Council proposes prohibiting oil and gas exploration activities on land.
In 2013, Parliament made it illegal for protest activity to interfere with seismic survey or other vessels involved in permitted and lawful petroleum work.
The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment yesterday said it would be investigating alleged breaches of the Crown Minerals Act.