A group of seven Whanganui councillors wants a meeting with the Corrections Minister to stop a serial sexual offender from being released into their area.
At a public meeting on Sunday, more than 200 people voiced their opposition to letting Stewart Murray Wilson live on Whanganui Prison grounds.
Wilson was jailed in 1996 for multiple sex offences spanning 20 years and although the 65-year-old is still considered high-risk, by law he must be released by 1 September, having served his sentence.
Councillors Michael Laws and Ray Stevens say the city does not have to accept Wilson's release or allow Whanganui to become a dumping ground for criminals.
Another councillor, Phillipa Baker Hogan, says the release is a national issue and the council has not been consulted properly.
