Tauranga MP Simon Bridges is back in the firing line of environmental activists who claim the awarding of 15 new oil permits is pushing the Maui's dolphin to the brink of extinction and harming ecologically protected areas.

The Energy and Resources Minister yesterday awarded the 15 new oil and gas exploration permits as a result of Block Offer 2014 – six onshore permits across the Taranaki, West Coast and East Coast basins, and nine offshore permits across the Reinga-Northland, Taranaki, and Pegasus basins.

Rotorua Labour candidate Tamati Coffey leads a protest march to Tauranga MP Simon Bridges' office as part of a Maui's dolphin protest in June. Photo: Tracy Hardy.

Among the successful bidders is Chevron NZ Exploration, a company facing criminal charges after 3500 barrels of oil spilled into Brazil waters in 2011.

The company can now begin drilling for oil in more than 26,000 square kilometres of the Pegasus Basin off the coast of wellington.

Simon says the results show New Zealand continues to cement its reputation as a key destination for investors in oil and gas exploration.

'The award of exploration permits is another important step toward unlocking New Zealand's oil and gas potential, both on and offshore,” he says.

'The Government is committed to developing our oil, gas and mineral resources in a sensible, safe and environmentally responsible way. Block Offer 2014 is delivering on that.”

Green Party energy spokesperson Gareth Hughes says the Maui's dolphin is being pushed to the brink of extinction with the new permits giving the green light to oil drilling in their Marine Mammal Sanctuary, Victoria Forest Park.

'National has arrogantly ignored the public opposition to drilling in the Maui's sanctuary,” says Gareth.

'Oil exploration and Maui's dolphins don't mix.”

Gareth says it appears the government have granted a permit that would allow oil drilling in deeper water than ever before anywhere in the world.

He says if National was serious about protecting Maui's dolphins it wouldn't be allowing more oil exploration in the part of the ocean where they live.

'The government is putting the short-term interest of petroleum companies ahead of the thousands and thousands of New Zealanders who love and want to protect the endangered Maui's dolphin,” he adds.

'Most New Zealanders would expect a Marine Mammal Sanctuary to actually protect dolphins but National is inviting oil companies in to explore for oil where Maui's dolphins live.

'National's pollution economy is putting our treasured species like the Maui's dolphin, and our treasured places like Victoria Forest Park, at risk.

This isn't the first time Simon has come under fire after protesters picketed outside his Tauranga office in June following the opening of more than 3000km of the Maui dolphin's habitat, the West Coast North Island Marine Mammal Sanctuary, up for oil and gas exploration.

Simon also admitted in April he was not aware that New Zealand's largest forest park - the 200,000 hectare Victoria Forest Park in Greymouth – was part of the area offered up for possible drilling and mining.

The total acreage of Block Offer 2014 spans 47,690 square kilometres, an 85 per cent increase on acreage permitted for petroleum exploration for Block Offer 2013.

Collectively the permits represent more than $110 million in committed expenditure on initial exploration which, if successful, could lead to further work worth more than $1 billion.