Bonfire protest against oil drilling

Bonfires burned along East Coast beaches for the second time this year as part of a campaign to stop offshore drilling for oil.

The bonfires burned on beaches from Gisborne up along the East Coast and towards Te Kaha, west of East Cape.

The protests were from groups trying to stop the offshore drilling for oil set to be carried out by Brazilian company Petrobras off East Cape.

It was the second such protest this year following a similar event on June 27.

Protest spokeswoman Ani Pahuru-Huriwai said today's event was larger.

"We had protests in Whakatane and along the Coromandel Peninsula, and we're hoping there were also some in Northland," she told NZPA.

"We want to show that it's not just us sitting here in the little East Cape, and that it's not just Maori, it's something a lot of the general public are very concerned about."

The protesters are concerned at the potential environmental damage the drilling could cause.

East Cape iwi Ngati Porou was also concerned at what it said was a lack of consultation before the drilling permit was awarded.

- NZPA