A drilling rig in the Pike River mine on the South Island's West Coast. Photo/ Greg Bowker
Unhappy miners and other resource-based companies are setting up a new lobby group named "Straterra" to represent their interests.
"Straterra's mandate will be to advocate for the resource sector, including minerals, coal and aggregates," said the group's chairman, John Dow.
He said that representation in the sector had
historically been "fragmented and not adequately resourced".
"This has resulted in mixed messages to local and central government and reduced effectiveness in influencing policy."
Dow said that Straterra would address issues in the domain of the NZ Minerals Industry Association (NZMIA), Aggregates and Quarrying Association (AQA), Coal Association of New Zealand and Minerals West Coast.
He said the minerals and petroleum sectors generated more than $4 billion a year, and contributed $2 billion to exports.
"This contribution to the NZ economy can be doubled or more over the medium term, providing the investment and regulatory regime is competitive with other similar countries and that the industry continues to set standards that earn it a social licence to operate," he said.
Straterra would work for greater recognition of the importance of the sector and form partnerships with local and national agencies to resolve issues which constrained investment.
- NZPA
