An oil company blocked from drilling a new pipeline in Taranaki by a Maori sub-tribe is waiting to hear from police or the courts about its next step.
The New Plymouth District Council says Greymouth Petroleum wants to dig a route for the pipeline through a hill near Waitara, within the terms of its resource consent.
Te Ati Awa's Otaraua sub-tribe, or hapu, says the site is sacred and has denied access to drillers from Greymouth Petroleum since Sunday, although other work continues.
The hapu says the company wants to bore through a site that is considered the heartland of the sub-tribe and has springs used for healing.
It says Greymouth Petroleum ignored the hapu's concerns, but the company says it and its predecessor, Swift Energy, consulted extensively.
Greymouth Petroleum chief operating officer John Sturgess says members of the hapu monitor operations over concerns about springwaters, and the drilling is permitted under New Plymouth's District Plan.
