A two-year investigation by investigative journalist Nicky Hager has found school children from the School Strike 4 Climate group, who joined a peaceful protest with Greenpeace against the oil-exploration company OMV in New Plymouth a year ago, were targets of the private investigation firm Thompson and Clark. This was only weeks after unprecedented numbers joined the 27th of September school strike marches around the country. The investigation has found between 2019 and 2020, a major focus of Thompson and Clark was monitoring and helping to counter citizen groups concerned about climate change. The main Thompson and Clark operations were in 2020, when the floating oil rig, The C.O.S.L Prospector, drilled first off the coast of Otago and then Taranaki. The private investigators worked intensely trying to uncover the protesters' plans - with daily reporting to OMV - and then devised counter plans and liaised with police to try to avoid or thwart the protests. Other Thompson and Clark clients include large gas emitting industries and an industry lobby group. (The Petroleum Exploration and Production Association of New Zealand (PEPANZ). We approached OMV New Zealand for comment. In a written response its spokesperson Jane Gower says that "OMV NZ, like many organisations, uses freely available public information to assess activities that might impact our operations". The statement went on to say "We respect the right of peaceful, legal protest but will take the appropriate steps when necessary if our people or businesses are under threat". Gavin Clark of Thompson and Clark says his company has "always strived to operate within the law and the rules and regulations of our industry".