New Plymouth District Council wants the airport and an urban area earmarked for development excluded from new oil and gas exploration areas.
At a meeting on Tuesday, the council agreed to ask New Zealand Petroleum & Minerals to exclude the airport and some residential and commercial areas from the 2013 blocks being offered for exploration.
One of the blocks includes areas in the suburb of Bell Block, north of the city, which is slated for future urban development.
But critic David Morrison said protection is needed for rural communities and he is appalled by double standards.
