A minerals sector leader is welcoming a Government promise to consult the industry on a proposed ban on new mining on conservation land.
Speaking at the industry’s annual conference in Queenstown this week, chief executive of industry lobby group Straterra, Chris Baker, said any intervention beyond existing legislation would discourage exploration and affect investment and jobs in the regions.
It would also limit the opportunities to discover high-value deposits, including rare earths and "green minerals", whose potential was being talked up by the Government.
The minerals sector wanted to work with the Government to support regional growth, Mr Baker said.
But "realistic pragmatism" by the Government was required, while setting rules that assured the wider public that appropriate environmental and labour standards were being applied.
In his opening address to the inaugural New Zealand Minerals Forum, New Zealand Coal & Carbon chief executive Brent Francis said a ban on new mining on conservation land was unnecessary and counter to the Government’s promise to boost the regions.
Any new mining should be considered on a "case-by-case" basis.
The industry needed to take a more "proactive and confronting" stance with the Government and public in arguing the case for its value to the economy, Mr Francis said.
Energy and Resources Minister Megan Woods told the audience that except for offshore oil and gas, the Government had not changed the rules for offshore mineral exploration.
Also, contrary to "recent speculation", she had not asked officials for advice on banning coal exploration.
But the Government was working on the proposed ban on new mining on conservation land, and a discussion document would be released in September. She urged the sector to look "20, 30 or 40 years" ahead and move to capitalise on New Zealand’s comparative advantage in making the transition to a low-emissions economy.
"As countries around the world look to meet their Paris commitments and take action on climate change, enormous amounts of money are flowing into the renewables and clean tech sector.
"For example, 2016 was the first year on record that global investment in clean energy outstripped investment in oil.
"I believe there exists a major opportunity for our mineral resource base to assist in the technologies and innovative solutions that are required for us to reduce our emissions and to meet the growing global demand for low emissions technology."
