Govt eyes letting miners onto even more DoC land

Gerry Brownlee

The Government will open up more protected land for mining beyond the first three areas announced yesterday, adding further fuel to criticism that the plans put New Zealand's environment and green credentials at risk.

In line with last week's leak to the Forest and Bird environment group, Mining and Energy Minister Gerry Brownlee said yesterday that the Government was considering opening up 7058ha of Schedule Four conservation land.

Those areas include tracts of Great Barrier Island, the Coromandel, and Paparoa National Park in Westland.

Mr Brownlee also said about $4 million would be spent over the next nine months on gathering information about further conservation estate areas, including some protected under Schedule Four.

They include Northland, the Kaikoura Ranges, Dun Mountain east of Nelson, Longwood area in Southland and parts of Stewart Island.

In announcing the Government's discussion document which opens up public consultation on the proposals, Mr Brownlee cited New Zealand's "parlous financial position" as the reason for his Government's stocktake of mineral wealth in the conservation estate.

The areas the Government intends removing from Schedule Four are estimated to contain minerals worth $60 billion.

Mr Brownlee also said the minerals extracted would be put to use in green technologies, such as the manufacture of hybrid cars, wind turbines and even low-energy lightbulbs.

But the Government's initial interest appears to be in gold and coal.

Mr Brownlee said officials initially proposed taking a further look at 450,000ha of Schedule Four land, but were told to "go back and tell us about more specific mineral deposits".

Prime Minister John Key said the result was that areas the Government was proposing to remove from Schedule Four were "limited to pinpoint areas on which it has good initial information on significant mineralisation".

Mr Brownlee said the area the Government wanted opened for mining totalled 0.2 per cent of the Crown's conservation estate.

Conservation Minister Kate Wilkinson said any mining on conservation land was subject to strict environmental tests.

"It has been made clear that any future mining applications will be considered on a case-by-case basis and conservation and environmental management remain a key consideration," she said.

Yesterday's discussion document ruled out mining in Kahurangi and Mt Aspiring National Parks as Mr Brownlee said "there has to be some part of the conservation estate that receives that degree of protection".

In line with another tip from Forest and Bird, the minister confirmed that the land removed from Schedule Four would be offset by the addition of 12,400ha of new areas.

Forest and Bird advocacy manager Kevin Hackwell said that area, half of which is actually marine reserves, had already been slated for inclusion in Schedule Four before the stocktake.

Mr Brownlee said: "The Government is not considering removing large areas from the schedule.

"Instead, we're investing in gathering more information on the mineral potential of these and other Schedule Four prospective areas."

The Opposition and environmental groups were quick to seize on plans to open further areas of the conservation estate for mining.

"I don't think they're revealing their true intentions," said Labour Party leader Phil Goff.

"What they are saying is they are planning to dig up some of the most beautiful areas of the country.

"A slice now, a slice later; they've signalled that there's more to come."