Mining Analysis

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The Government’s decision to leave Schedule 4 entirely protected is very good news indeed. This is what Forest & Bird advocated for. This decision recognises the sound arguments we made about the immense economic and environmental value of our most precious conservation land.

The decision also shows the Government listened to the many thousands of New Zealanders who defended our national parks by marching, writing submissions and signing petitions.

Schedule 4

The decision about Schedule 4 is very good. No land currently in the Schedule will be removed, and all the areas queued to enter the Schedule will do so.Moreover, in future where an area becomes classified in a category listed in the Schedule (e.g. national park or marine reserve) it will be automatically added to the Schedule. Schedule 4 areas are also no longer the targets of the large aerial mineral survey funded by the Government.

Schedule 4 endures, and now has a renewed cross-party consensus.

Forest & Bird will continue to push for additions to Schedule 4 because a number of core conservation areas are not yet included. These include World Heritage Areas beyond national park boundaries, marine mammal sanctuaries and nature reserves. We will also support Green and Labour Party members’ bills to make future removals from Schedule 4 require an Act of Parliament.

Mining on other conservation land

The news is not so rosy for the 60% of conservation land that is not in Schedule 4. The Government claims to have a mandate to pursue significantly more mining on non-Schedule 4 land. Forest & Bird disputes that and maintains that any mining proposals should meet very strict tests to ensure they do not further imperil our natural heritage.

The Government has proposed a number of initiatives to make mining easier on non-Schedule 4 conservation land. Forest & Bird will advocate against any weakening of our conservation and environmental laws. Most of these will require changes to the law.

Fortunately, one proposal will lead to better conservation outcomes – significant applications to mine on public conservation land will have to be publicly notified.

Other proposals are not so good, including:

• The Government will fund an aerial survey of Northland and the West Coast (excluding Schedule 4 areas) for mineral potential
• Decisions on access to conservation land will no longer be made by the Conservation Minister based on conservation criteria, but also by the Energy & Resources Minister based on economic criteria
• Decisions to elevate the status of conservation land (e.g. to add an area to a national park) will no longer be made by the Conservation Minister based on conservation criteria, but by the whole of Cabinet based on economic criteria.