A Hawera man is trying to selling fossils he claims are dog bones, dog teeth and Moa bone fragments.

A war of words has flared up between a museum curator and a Hawera man who is trying to sell moa bones through an online auction.

Whanganui Regional Museum natural history curator Mike Dickison has criticised the listing of a handful of bone fragments.

But the seller, who wanted to be known only as Ray, has defended his actions, saying he found the bones while walking along a south Taranaki beach several years ago.

Ray this week listed fossils he says are dog bones, dog teeth and moa bone fragments, with reserves starting at just a few dollars.

Dickison said there was no proof that the items were not dug up from a known archaeological site.

It is illegal to damage, modify or destroy excavation sites.

"From the condition of the bones, moa experts have said that this material is archaeological material," he said.

Ray said the bones would have succumbed to the elements if he had not picked them up.

"If I don't pick it up, it's going to be destroyed and gone forever," he said.

"I've seen people walking along the same area crunching the bones under their feet.

"They just think they are cow bones.

"I can't help myself. I just have to collect things."

He said all the items for sale were found on top of the sand and had not been dug up.

Dickison said thousands of moa bones found their way on to Trade Me, and the people doing it should contact the appropriate authorities.

"The first thing you have to do is notify Heritage New Zealand, then once collected it has to be offered to a museum first," he said.

"He's saying he is picking it up off the beach and not digging, but does he have any proof of that?

"He will know the rules. He has been listing moa bones on Trade Me for several years."

Dickison said that if Ray was selling the objects overseas without a permit he was in violation of the Protected Objects Act.

Trade Me was investigating a complaint from the public about the auction.

Ray, who says he is a registered collector of taonga tuturu, said he would stop selling the items if what he was doing was deemed to be illegal.

Registered collectors are allowed to buy privately owned taonga tuturu and must make their collections available for examination by the Ministry for Culture and Heritage.

Taonga tuturu means the object relates to Maori culture, history or society and was manufactured, imported or used by Maori at least 50 years ago.