An application to undertake one of the largest ever offshore 3D seismic surveys off the Taranaki coast indicated there was renewed confidence for further oil exploration in the area, an industry insider says.

Oilfield services company Schlumberger​ New Zealand has applied to survey up to 5000 square kilometres of the Taranaki Basin as part of a larger area encompassing 18,840sqkm.

The survey has been described as "monstrous" by Greenpeace for its potential impact on marine mammals and because it could contribute to the discovery of fossil fuels blamed for climate change.

Greenpeace Amazon Warrior, the world's largest seismic survey ship, off the Wairarapa Coast last summer

Schlumberger's application to the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment follows on from offshore seismic surveys completed off the East Coast in late 2016 and early 2017.

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Petroleum Exploration and Production Association New Zealand chief executive Cameron Madgwick said the application showed the industry's confidence for further exploration was improving.

Supplied Greenpeace activists were arrested for trying to disrupt offshore seismic surveying last summer

"Taranaki is a proven area for exploration, and with the price of oil slowly rising confidence was increasing," he said.

"The application showed people still considered there was plenty of life still left in the Taranaki Basin."

​Madgwick said the survey could be seen as a precursor to greater economic activity for the region.

Any survey vessel used in the programme would need to be serviced at Port Taranaki, including refuelling and re-supplying, he said.

​The data collected from the surveys would be processed and made available to Crown agencies, and later sold to exploration companies.

Seismic surveys are used by oil and gas exploration companies to provide detailed images of rock types to find the location and size of oil and gas reservoirs beneath the sea bed.

All surveys within the exclusive economic zone require observers on board the ship to report and record sightings of mammals near the operation area.

Industry website Energy News reported the survey could be the largest undertaken in the Taranaki Basin.

It included the Maui, Tui and Maari oil and gas producing fields operated and owned by Australasian oil and gas business Tamarind Resources, Shell New Zealand, and the German oil and gas company OMV, respectively.

All three fields are anticipated to have opportunities for future exploration.

New Zealand Petroleum and Minerals petroleum national manager Josh Adams said the programme could take four months and the data made available to oil and gas companies under licence, the website reported.

The survey provided the opportunity to extend the life of the existing fields and infrastructure through identifying exploration targets and potentially unlocking further production, it was reported.

"Any discoveries and any additional production would benefit the Taranaki region and the Crown as well as improve New Zealand's energy security," he said.

Greenpeace New Zealand said the seismic survey could harm whales and dolphins, and affect marine food sources, such as zooplankton.

"This Schlumberger survey is absolutely monstrous," Greenpeace climate campaigner Kate Simcock said.

"It comes at a time when we know beyond doubt that we can't afford to burn most of the fossil fuel reserves we know about if we want to avoid climate catastrophe, let alone search for more."

The environmental activist group is to defend charges in Napier District Court on Thursday related to disrupting seismic surveys on the east coast in January.

Three Greenpeace members, including Greenpeace NZ executive director Russel Norman, were arrested when they jumped into the sea while seismic surveys were being undertaken off the Wairarapa coast.

Schlumberger New Zealand, and NZ Petroleum and Minerals did not return calls.