Bill English hasn't taken over as New Zealand's Prime Minister yet, but he's already being urged to take a stand on fossil fuels and climate change.

It follows Texan oil giant Anadarko's decision to quit drilling for oil in the Pegasus Basin, off the Kaikoura and Wellington Coasts. The company's oil exploration faced growing protests.

Greenpeace spokesman Steve Abel said it's a massive decision but oil companies have been under pressure from strengthening domestic opposition.

"We've got Auckland Council, Christchurch Council, Gisbourne, Dunedin, all saying they don't want any exploration or drilling happening - they don't want the risk, and I think that the general vibe is negative towards the oil industry here," he said.

Abel said we should be pursuing economic opportunities in the clean energy industry instead.

"We're calling on the new to-be Prime Minister Bill English to face the global climate emergency, recognise we have to leave the new oil in the ground and get out of this risky deep sea off-shore oil drilling for good."

Anadarko came up dry off Taranaki following a $300 million drilling campaign in 2014. Norwegian oil giant Statoil struck out in the Reinga Basin earlier this year, while Brazilian company Petrobras in 2012 pulled out of exploration in the Raukumara Basin off the East Coast.