An iwi leader says protesters trampled on his mana and Maori tikanga when they overturned tables at a hui with a Norwegian oil firm.
Te Runanga o Te Rarawa chairman Haami Piripi, who organised the hui at Kaitaia's Te Ahu Centre earlier this month, said his iwi opposed deep-sea oil drilling - but, now that the Government had allowed oil firm Statoil to start exploring, it was trying to work with the company to prevent any harmful effects.
Any such discussions were cut short when protesters overturned the table the Norwegians were sitting at, then the tables for iwi leaders and kaumatua.
"It was really shocking for me ... They gave the impression at first they were there to listen and participate, but as the meeting went on it became clear they were there to disrupt," he said.
However, protest group member Rueben Taipari Porter said the disruption came about because Mr Piripi had been repeatedly asked by kaumatua to stop the hui and had no right to negotiate on behalf of Te Rarawa or other iwi.