A dead dolphin was found washed up on an Auckland beach yesterday - with fears it could be one of the few critically endangered Māui.

There were between 48 and 64 Māui dolphins left, the Department of Conservation (DoC) said, and they are only found on the North Island’s west coast.

DoC said it was also possible it could have been the body of a Hector’s dolphin - of which only 15,000 are left and usually stay around the South Island.

Local iwi Ngāti Te Ata helped DoC find the dolphin, and DoC will send it to Massey University for a necropsy to find out why it died.

 “We would like to thank Ngāti Te Ata for their help searching for the dolphin and facilitating access across private land which helped us find [it],” DoC Tāmaki Makaurau operations manager Rebecca Rush said.

She said people should report sightings of dead dolphins as soon as possible.

“Every hour is critical. Every dead dolphin that can’t be necropsied is a lost opportunity to better understand what is threatening [them].”

People can report sightings online or by phone.