The government would resist any moves by the mining industry to boost the areas that prospectors can clear on conservation land from 100 square metres to 300 square metres, says acting Minister for Energy and Resources Hekia Parata.
The government would resist any moves by the mining industry to boost the areas that prospectors can clear on conservation land from 100 square metres to 300 square metres, says acting Minister for Energy and Resources Hekia Parata.
About 12.75 percent of the nation's total land area - or 40 percent of public conservation land - is covered by Schedule 4 of the Crown Minerals Act, which restricts mining-type activity in specified conservation areas, including national parks and other public conservation land.
Only minimum-impact activities such as taking samples by hand-held methods, and aerial and land surveying are allowed in such areas.
The minister and her officials told Labour MP David Parker during a select committee hearing today that they did not know of any approach from the mining industry to change the rules on prospecting on Schedule 4 land so that areas up to 30 square metres could be cleared.
"I certainly haven't had any such approach," said Ms Parata.
She said outside the commerce committee hearing that she would not be likely to be receptive to the kind of approach Mr Parker had suggested some miners wanted.
Some Department of Conservation exemptions existed for small scale or recreational mining -- such as gold fossicking -- on Schedule 4 land, or for emergency exits, as long as there was not complete stripping of vegetation exceeding 100 square metres.
Mr Parker said he had been told the mining sector wanted this area increased.
Ms Parata said that commitments that the Government had already made on Schedule 4 land would be incorporated in changes to the Crown minerals regime.
One year ago, the Government backed down on plans to open protected conservation land to mineral prospecting, and ditched plans to remove conservation land in the Coromandel, Great Barrier Island and Paparoa National Park from protected Schedule 4 status so it could be prospected for minerals.
It had proposed opening up 7000 hectares of such land but the plans sparked a huge groundswell of opposition.
