A Dunedin City Councillor says public anger about oil exploration is boiling over because the Government has not given citizens a say.
Shell New Zealand holds oil and gas exploration permits in the Great South Basin and is preparing environmental and cultural impact statements for its submission to the Government.
On Monday, about a dozen protesters noisily shut down a community workshop in Dunedin run by Shell over its plans for a deepwater test well off the Otago-Southland coast.
Shell was holding the closed meeting for city and community representatives, including the Dunedin City Council, the Department of Conservation, iwi, Port Otago, fishing and environmental groups, at the Town Hall when the protesters entered about midday.
Oil Free Otago says the workshop is a phoney consultation; Shell says it believes the group represents only a tiny, but very vocal minority.
Dunedin City Councillor Jinty MacTavish believes Shell should be more open, but the anger vented on Monday is not of its making.
"They're a company, they're not a government. They're not there to hear all stakeholders' views and come out with the best outcome for the nation.
"That's the Government's job - and that is what this Government has failed to do."
Ms MacTavish says Shell's workshops have become a target because opponents have no other outlet for their anger.
Shell says it shut down the meeting for safety reasons and will engage with everyone in Otago and Southland who want to talk about its plans.
An Oil Free Otago spokesperson says Shell is looking for oil - not gas - as the company claims, and is not telling the public the full story. Rosemary Penwarden says the company must become more open.
A spokesperson for Shell New Zealand says media were excluded from the workshop on Monday because it is too early in the decision-making process.
Protesters leave their message in the Octagon in central Dunedin. Photo: RNZ
