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AUSIMMNZ2011: Conference told of legislative changes and need for greater community networking
Simon Hartley — 29 August 2011
“Incremental” legislative changes and engaging with affected communities were prevalent themes at the opening of the 2011 AusIMM New Zealand Mining Conference in Queenstown yesterday.
Both politically and economically, the potential for boosting the financial contribution from New Zealand’s mining sector remains at the forefront of development arguments.
For the heavyweight companies opening the conference yesterday – OceanaGold Corporation, Newmont Waihi Gold and Solid Energy -- all highlighted increased exploration programmes for their respective resources, in line with expectations of strong global demand for commodities.
Acting Minister for Energy and Resources for just six months, Hekia Parata, struck a positive tone in a well received presentation by the more than 270 delegates attending.
She drew together the threads of potential iwi investment in the sector, growing women’s roles in the industry and outlined numerous legislative changes which are already in place which should assist sector participants in future permitting and Resource Management Act issues.
High on her agenda, and later reiterated by OceanaGold, Newmont and Solid Energy, was the need for communication with communities, or a “no brainer approach” to talking directly with communities as an expected “best business practice.”
She continued the theme of her predecessor, senior Minister Gerry Brownlee, that the mining sector provided the opportunity for a “significant” contribution to the country’s gross domestic product.
Ms Parata cited the recent work, permits and consents awarded of listed-Heritage Gold NZ Ltd, Bathurst Resources Ltd and Trans Tasman Resources; which collectively between the trio could become hundreds of millions of dollars in turnover annually.
She did not shy away from land access issues, and spoke on reclassification of Department of Conservation administered land, which at present is covered by five different statutes.
While not repeating National’s ill-fated and seemingly sweeping proposal two years ago to open up prized conservation land to exploration, she instead talked of “incremental changes” to legislation, including the RMA review, the extension of the RMA beyond the 12-mile limit to cover ocean floor mining and the need to remove duplication of information at present required under numerous statutes.
(In answer to a question from NZResources.com, the Minister said discussions with Nautilus Minerals on its seafloor massive sulphide mineral exploration licences off the east coast of the North Island were still progressing).
The Ministry of Development would now be told a month before any public consultation took place on reclassification issues, in order for it to determine who all interested parties are.
She said National wanted to assure all aspects of environmental safety are in place, speaking on the Environmental Protection Authority and the importance of how RMA reforms must cover marine and coastal areas.
Still high on everyone’s agenda, is the current back-log of permits awaiting actioning by Government permiting agency, New Zealand Petroleum & Minerals (formerly Crown Minerals); having gone through months of restructuring and boosts to both funding and staffing.
NZP&M director of minerals, Josh Adams, told delegates the agency had been left “flat and stretched” as the sector grew in recent years and “had a lack of commercial focus.”
Newmont general manager of operations Glen Grindlay’s off the cuff comment during his presentation on new prospects around Waihi about an application “still sitting on a desk” of NZPM, reflected the frustrating sentiment of many companies queuing for applications.
Adams said NZP&M’s focus was now firmly on dealing with the backlog, with applications running well above the 10-year average of 114, and closer to 200 last year with 100 already made this year.
Solid Energy reiterated its commitment to developing new energy sources, with group manager of external affairs, Bill Luff, saying coal reserves were around 160 billion tonnes, but estimates of the resource could be seven times larger again.
For this reason, Solid Energy would continue with its plans of a lignite to briquette plant at Matura, coal seam gas studies in Huntly, and lignite to diesel and fertiliser conversion plans.
While environmentalist and the Green Party have been up in arms over the use of lignite, Luff said carbon management was fundamental to all the developments and they would be carbon neutral; in reference to emissions trading schemes.
Solid Energy wanted to “lead and accelerate” the lignite-use debate, even if that included “sticking out its neck” to do so.
*Simon Hartley is senior reporter for the Otago Daily Times.
Here's a contribution from Ross Louthean, unfortunately no extra detail over the last press release, except for a photo of Simon Henderson standing beside a statue in Te Aroha. Presumably he was having a look at WKP with Newmont recently.