The South-East Marine Protection Forum has made public the more than 2800 submissions received through its consultation process.
The forum consulted on 20 proposed sites for possible inclusion in a network of marine protected areas from Timaru to Waipapa Point.
Forum chairwoman Maree Baker-Galloway said the submissions received represented a wide range of stakeholders and demonstrated a high level of engagement and public interest.
The submissions being publicly available was important, she said.
"We aim to be as transparent as possible. Now everyone who is invested in the outcome can see the wealth of information and opinions we are considering before making our final recommendations.''
The forum has also released an independent summary of submissions and an independent summary of science submissions.