May 24, 2024
Minerals policy to unlock Te Tai Poutini
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Resources Minister Shane Jones wants to double the value of mineral exports to $2 billion by 2035.
Mr Jones unveiled his draft minerals strategy yesterday at a community meeting in the West Coast township of Blackball, the birthplace of the Labour Party.
He says minerals are needed for new technology and the clean energy transition, and places like Te Tai Poutini have them.
New Zealand has suffered from the lack of a clear long-term strategic direction for the development of its minerals estate.
“Poverty in paradise is still poverty and it’s all very well saying we don’t want to touch Papatuānuku because we live in paradise – well, in order for paradise to be sustained we need money, we need jobs and we need economic resilience,”
The Government’s approach to mining and oil and gas exploration is generating resistance, with environmental groups planning a major march in Auckland on June 8.