The Department of Conservation's being accused of using scare tactics and dodgy data in its bid to keep people away from dolphins in the Bay of Islands.
There have been 645 submissions on a planned marine sanctuary that would ban swimmers and boats from coming within 400 metres of all marine mammals.
DOC says 60 percent of the submissions are in favour.
But many locals, and some leading experts, are not.
Sam Olley reports from Te Tai Tokerau.
