Greenpeace spokesman Steve Abel addressed council, urging the body to "be on the right side of history," by saying no to any oil exploration in New Zealand.
He said explorative drilling was dangerous and non-notified, and today's council meeting was the only opportunity the public would get to have their say on any activity to come out of the block offer process.
Mr Abel said he was disappointed that climate change was not mentioned in the council's submission, saying "its impact on our Pacific cousins, brothers and sisters is real."
He said Greenpeace's opposition to deep sea drilling was not in opposition to an existing industry, but to the creation of a new industry and compared a reliance on petrochemicals to an addiction to heroin.
"We don't need oil, we are dependent on it. We need to break this dependence."
But Auckland's mayor Len Brown said he totally supported the council's submission on the Block Offer.
He did, however, say he was disappointed that the public did not have more of a say on the matter.
If Government gave the council more input into the decision, things could be different, but his hands were tied, he said.
"We can't waste time on things we don't have any say on. There are some battles where I sense that the powers that be are not listening at all."
Three of Auckland's 21 local boards - Waitakere Ranges, Waiheke Island and Maungakiekie-Tamaki - completely opposed the block offer, while others expressed concerns about the environmental impact of exploratory activity.
The Nga Maunga Whakahii o Kaipara iwi will submit an objection to the offer directly to Government body New Zealand Petroleum and Minerals.
The Block Offer process allows companies to competitively tender for areas made available through the scheme, and the final decision would be made by Energy and Resources minister Simon Bridges.
An MBIE spokesman said the tender process did not simply grant permits to the highest bidder.
"The competition is between companies proposed work programmes and their technical and financial capability to do that work.
"A high level health, safety and environmental capability assessment is also done. It is about ensuring the most competent and reputable companies operate in New Zealand and that all work is done safely and responsibly. Even if a company applied for a permit in an area that did not have any other bids, we would only grant it if our standards were met," he said.
The areas incorporated in the 2016 Block Offer include the Northland-Reinga and Caledonian Basin and New Caledonia Basin, and the Taranaki Basin.
This is the third time Auckland Council has made a submission to the Government on the process.
About 50 protesters stood outside Auckland's town hall holding placards featuring Maui's dolphins and slogans like "why spoil perfect?" and "stop deep sea oil" ahead of today's meeting.
