Recommendations from the Department of Conservation to protect Maui's dolphins were rejected by a Government agency responsible for protecting the species.
In June, the Ministry for Primary Industries announced interim protection measures for the remaining 55 Maui dolphins, with a ban on set nets up to two nautical miles off the coast of Taranaki.
However, DoC had warned the ministry those measures were vastly inadequate.
The ministry says the advice it forwarded to the minister reflected the best information available, and the Department of Conservation has never raised concerns.