NZ gov't DOUBLES land and sea for oil exploration

The NZ government, which has no interest in mitigating sea level, rise wants to hugely increase oil exploration.

Huge increase in oil exploration areas

The Government has doubled the amount of land and sea available for oil and gas exploration

NZ Herald,

2 April, 2014

The total is now 405,000 square kilometres, or 1.5 times New Zealand's entire surface area.

Energy and Resources Minister Simon Bridges made the announcement at an energy conference in Wellington.

Areas being offered include onshore parts of the East Coast, Taranaki and the West Coast of the South island.

Offshore areas are near Cape Reinga, the New Caledonia Basin and the East Coast of the North and upper South Islands.

Mr Bridges said the area is big for a reason.

"Companies do want maximum areas where they think there is good proxpectivity to explore

and then hone in their interest so while they start relatively large, they move into very small areas."

Oil companies are now invited to develop plans for oil and gas prospecting and those with the most intensive work programme will win the contract to proceed.

Protest outside

A small number of demonstrators protested outside the conference as the minister stressed the economic importance of oil and gas.

Organiser Fi Gibson said they were angry at the big new offer.

"This comes despite the IPCC report which shows climate change is very real and come with real costs for New Zealand," she said.

"This is moving in the opposite direction to today's block off."