Updated 1.35pm: The finger is being pointed at the shark cage-diving industry, after a film crew was attacked off Stewart Island.

Footage has emerged of a six-metre great white shark lunging at a dinghy.

Two people were in the inflatable filming for a documentary which screened on Discovery Channel last year.

New Zealand First MP Clayton Mitchell says he doesn't understand how the Government can ignore the fact shark attacks off the island have increased.

He says attacks have become common off Stewart Island, since the Government gave permits to two cage diving businesses last year.

"Put it this way, locals will not go out in an inflatable dinghy anymore where once they would have done it quite frequently."

"Where once the great white sharks were quite a shy and reclusive animal, they're now very much up in personal spaces of recreational fishermen and divers."

Stories abound amongst locals of sharks bumping boats, biting buoys and stealing catches.

They say the behaviour wasn't evident a decade ago, and has come about because the animals now associate boats and humans with food.

However a documentary filmmaker says cage-diving isn't to blame for increased shark activity.

Mike Bhana says the shark wasn't attacking the overseas' film-makers' boat near Stewart Island, it was merely feeling its way around to see what was going on.

He says the film-makers were never in danger, but the sensationalised documentary made out that they were.

Mike Bhana says Edwards Island, where the cage-divers operate, is a known hotspot for great white sharks and they group there during several months of the year to mate.

"99.9% of the time sharks will completely avoid us. I've worked with sharks for over 20 years, I've been in the water with pretty much every species, with or without cages, and I've still got all my fingers and toes."

Last year the Department of Conservation granted permits to two cage-diving operators.