Originally Posted by
jonu
John Upperton
NTL Director
This report in Inside Resources of Shane Jones' speech in Blackball today should be of interest to NTL shareholders.
Jones sets out minerals vision
Colin Williscroft - Thu, 23 May 2024
Resources Minister Shane Jones laid out his plans to double the export value of the minerals sector by 2035 at an event in Blackball this afternoon.
Minerals currently generate annual export earnings of $1 billion, $21 million in royalties and more than 5000 direct jobs.
Jones says the Government anticipates accelerating the sector's growth through existing minerals like gold and coking coal, but also new minerals important to clean energy technologies.
“My goal is for the sector to double its export value to $2 billion by 2035, provide more than 7000 direct jobs across regional New Zealand and support other sectors through the stable supply of essential minerals,” he says.
“This is not out of reach. The establishment of 10 significant mining operations, each having the potential to generate $100m per annum, can lead this growth pathway.”
Potential
To unlock that potential, mining needs to happen in the right place, in the right way and in partnership with tangata whenua and local communities, he says in notes for his speech.
At present, policy and regulatory settings don’t allow that.
Jones says New Zealand has long lacked clear policy direction on minerals extraction, making it harder to create enabling policies and creating investment uncertainty.
“This changes now.”
Strategy
He says the Government will develop a long-term strategic approach for minerals that sets clear policy direction, identifying the actions needed to secure and increase minerals supply and their potential for use and export to maximise economic and Crown benefit from the mineral estate.
As part of that, a Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment draft minerals strategy to 2040 discussion document was released this afternoon.
The final strategy will include clarifying where mining can occur.
“Schedule 4 land is off the table under my watch – but not all conservation land is equal,” Jones says.
“I support sustainable and environmentally approved mining on stewardship land and other categories of DoC land. A major priority is to clarify access arrangements for mineral extraction.”
Regulatory barriers
He says to allow efficient mining development, red tape needs to be removed.
“The sector is impacted by the revolving list of regulatory barriers which currently exist, because we’ve never had a solid plan that we stick to.”
He says the length of time it takes to deliver mining projects is proving costly – in inflated costs, delays and in terms of New Zealand’s international reputation as a place for doing business.
Much of that relates to the state of the Resource Management Act, he says, but the country has also suffered from negative signals through changes to Crown minerals laws and unclear positions on conservation law.
“The past several decades have seen mining promoters sidelined or stigmatised. It is high time that the tables were turned and facts replaced tales of woe and exaggeration.
“We all want wealth and resilience. Trade-offs are necessary. Mitigation is the key to achieving balance.”
Consent pathways
Jones says the Government wants to enable major projects by improving decision-making timeframes and giving greater investment certainty, with well-designed projects having a clear and fast path to consent.
While the Fast-track Approvals Bill is already before Parliament, he says more work is needed across all the legislation and approvals required by miners when they are working outside the fast-track process.
“That doesn’t mean we can drop the ball on environmental protections, rehabilitation or our people – all these things need to coexist together.
“I want to see mining making a positive difference to our iwi and hapū across the country, enabling better access to cultural minerals, creating more jobs and ensuring long-term benefits flow to our community.”
Domestic resilience
Jones also wants to improve domestic resilience for the minerals the country needs.
“New Zealand has a wealth of mineral resources and I would rather we extract from our own backyard than be left with no choice but to import from places with lower environmental and employment standards.
He says domestic resilience will create more jobs and ensure minerals come with high environmental credentials.
“To do this, we first need to improve our understanding of what minerals we have, where they are and what we need.
“What are the minerals needs of New Zealand now and in the future, and are those supplies secure and affordable?”
He says the Government will develop a list of critical minerals for New Zealand to answer those questions.
“Developing actions to secure a better supply of these minerals will start in our own back yard. This Government will invest in geological modelling and resource potential mapping of our mineral resources so we can answer these questions.”
Supply chains
Another focus for Jones is to increase New Zealand’s contributions to global supply chains.
The International Energy Agency estimates that to reach net-zero emissions by 2050, the world will need six times more minerals for low- emission technology than are currently being extracted.
“I want New Zealand to be part of the solution.
“There is no energy transition without minerals - no batteries, no electric cars, no wind turbines and no solar panels.”
He says New Zealand has a choice to contribute to and benefit from this growing market, or to become the recipients of other people’s economic effort and output.
“The transition to a low-emissions economy provides us with an opportunity to trade our mineral reserves, but we need to act now.
“Our trade partners are asking us to contribute to secure, resilient, and sustainable global supply chains, because current supply chains are vulnerable to disruption.”
He says with the right direction and settings, mining will boost regional opportunities and jobs, increase New Zealand’s self sufficiency and be a critical part of an export-led focus “especially as we take advantage of the global opportunities for new minerals uses”.