Kaikoura seals may be in jeopardy as road works on State Highway 1 continue.
The Department of Conservation has granted a permit to the NZTA and KiwiRail to kill, injure or harass seals as they carry out repair work on the road.
While the agencies admit they applied for the permit which is valid until March 2018, they said they had no intention of harming the seals. The permit states workers on site may kill, injure, tranquilise, harass, disturb and possess the protected marine animals during the repairs.
The State Highway 1 road running through Kaikoura is being repaired after it was damaged and had severe rockfall in the Kaikoura earthquake in November last year.
More than 300 construction workers are fixing the road and a housing village of prefabs is being set up in Kaikoura so the workers can base themselves in the coastal town. Work on State Highway 1 is expected to be completed by the end of the year.
Video by Ashleigh Monk for CTV with help from New Zealand on Air.