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A protester allegedly forged a letter and emailed it to delegates for next week's New Zealand Petroleum Conference in Queenstown, informing them it had been cancelled.

Political activist David Farrar said in a post on his Kiwiblog site yesterday he was the after-dinner speaker at the conference, reportedly being held at the Millennium Hotel on Monday and Tuesday.

''I was surprised to get a letter emailed to me today on PEPANZ [Petroleum Exploration & Production Association of New Zealand] letterhead, informing me that the conference had been cancelled due to impending protest action outside the conference.

''But, as it turns out, the conference has not been cancelled. One of the protesters forged the letter and sent it out to conference attendees.

''So, according to these people, even forgery is a legitimate protest tool now.''

The Otago Daily Times reported last week climate activist group Extinction Rebellion was organising a ''counter-conference'' to coincide with the petrol summit, encouraging its own delegates to attend to ''bestow a sense of shame on to this event and those who are supporting and facilitating it''.

Mr Farrar said the letter was not satire or ''an obvious hoax'', and it listed the names of energy chief executives at the bottom as signatories.

Conference media manager Phil Rennie said the association was aware of the letter, which had been sent to members and conference speakers.

''It's disappointing and dishonest and I'm sure whoever sent it would be outraged if we did the same thing to them.''

There were ''no plans'' to contact the police at this stage, he said.

The conference was going ahead, as planned, and the potential for protest action outside was something the association was ''well used to''.

''It happens often at our conferences.

''We totally respect the right for people to express their views and ... protest. We just ask they do it peacefully.

''People do have a right to attend conferences like ours and as long as they respect that, it should be totally fine.''

Extinction Rebellion spokeswoman Rosemary Penwarden said she did not know about the letter, but would be ''delighted'' if the organisers decided to cancel the conference following what had been a ''monumental week for the climate movement''.