Iwi feel insulted at the Environmental Protection Authority's decision to hold seabed mining hearings outside the area most affected.
Anne-Marie Broughton, administrator for South Taranaki iwi Nga Rauru, said she was appalled by the decision.
And yesterday, neighbouring iwi Ngati Ruanui called for an urgent review of venues for the hearings into Trans-Tasman Resources' application to mine ironsand.
Both iwi have coastline close to proposed mining area, offshore from Patea, and both asked for hearings in their tribal areas.
However, the EPA has ruled that hearings will be held in Wellington and New Plymouth.
Trans-Tasman Resources proposes to mine nearly 66 square kilometres of the seabed in the South Taranaki Bight - an application that has attracted 13,733 submissions.
When Trans-Tasman Resources made its first seabed mining application in 2014, hearings were held at Pariroa Marae, where 32 individuals submitted over two days. Other submitters were heard in the Whanganui District Council office.
Asked why hearings were not being held in the area most affected this time, an EPA spokeswoman responded with the message on the authority website.
It said the EPA was grateful for invitations by Nga Rauru and Ngati Ruanui to host hearings on marae. It declined mainly because adding more hearing locations would add logistical requirements and administrative costs, given the large number of submitters.
Ms Broughton said that decision loaded the logistical issues and costs on to submitters.
"It means more than four hours of travel for most local submitters, with the additional costs in time off work and covering other commitments."
She likened the practice to that of the 19th century Maori Land Court, which held sittings about Maori land in distant places. Many Maori owners were unable to attend and lost their land.
Hawera and Whanganui had good facilities for holding hearings, and Ms Broughton would like a practical explanation why they could not be held here.
The EPA website says it considers New Plymouth the most suitable venue for hearings near those iwi, and believes the Wellington and New Plymouth venues meet its obligation to be fair.
"The addition of further hearing locations would impose additional cost and complexities without any significant benefit."
The website adds that tikanga Maori would be recognised in the hearings.