Government\u2019s plan for mining<\/a> and the Critical Minerals List at OceanaGold\u2019s mine in Waihi, aiming to double exports to $3 billion by 2035.<\/p>\nMore than 100 protesters blocked the road outside the Waihi mine in opposition to the Government\u2019s announcement.<\/p>\n
![\"Anti-mining]()
Anti-mining protestors at Waihi in January at Shane Jones’ announcement on the Government’s mining strategy. Photo \/ Tom Eley<\/p>\n
Documents released by Jones at the time presented a \u201ctransformative vision for the sector and identify minerals essential to our economy\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve spoken at length about how a lack of long-term strategic direction has hindered this country in reaping the economic and security benefits our natural resources present,\u201d Jones said at the time. <\/p>\n
\u201cI am delighted to say that that ends now.\u201d<\/p>\n
The creation of the strategy and list was part of the coalition agreement between New Zealand First and National to investigate the country\u2019s mineral resources, including vanadium, and devise a plan to develop opportunities.<\/p>\n
\u201cThrough the Minerals Strategy this Government has formed the foundations of a considered, enduring approach to minerals development that prioritises delivering for New Zealanders, now and into the future, by supporting a productive and resilient economy through responsible and sustainable practices,\u201d Jones said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a holistic picture of minerals production from the land and sea, from reprocessing waste material, and from potential recycling and recovery.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe final strategy addresses the feedback received during consultation with our three key outcomes refocused around productivity, value, and resilience, guided by overarching principles to honour Te Tiriti o Waitangi obligations and responsible practices.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith revised export statistics from Statistics NZ, we are now targeting a goal of doubling our exports to $3b by 2035, up from the previous target of $2b, with a roadmap for how we will get there.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Martha]()
Martha Mine owned by OceanaGold in Waihi. Photo \/ Kit Wilson, OceanaGold.<\/p>\n
Following public consultation, the Critical Minerals List now features 37 minerals, up from 35 in the draft list.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe key change to the Critical Minerals List is the addition of gold and metallurgical coal in recognition of their importance to our minerals sector.<\/p>\n
\u201cTogether, they represent 80% of our mineral exports, generating export revenues of around $1.2b in the year to June 2023.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jones said New Zealand wouldn\u2019t have the skills, machinery, resources, and capability to support a modern and responsible mining sector without them.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith the increasing demand and volatility in international markets, I want New Zealand to contribute to the growing critical minerals market as a trusted and reliable partner, particularly where we can support global mineral supply chains of minerals necessary for clean energy technologies.<\/p>\n
\u201cOf the 37 minerals included on the list, we produce or have the potential to produce 21 here in New Zealand.\u201d<\/p>\n
Catherine Delahunty, chairwoman of anti-mining group Coromandel Watchdog of Hauraki said in January when Jones announced the strategy that the long-term effects of mining could cause deep scars in the land.<\/p>\n
\u201cPreviously, when mining was last here, the river turned orange after decades of mining.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve had mining in the past and still living with the toxic legacy.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Catherine]()
Catherine Delahunty, chair of Coromandel Watchdog, at the OceanaGold Waihi Gold Mine. Photo \/ Michael Craig<\/p>\n
She said the group was \u201cappalled by the Government\u2019s 19th-century approach to mining and our economy and we expect the strategy will meet our worst fears\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cCombined with the fast-track law this strategy and the promotion of mining minerals such as gold, coal, antimony and various rare earth metals will lead to greater environmental risks and no public scrutiny.<\/p>\n
\u201cRelying on foreign miners to fix the economy is an act of desperation, we cannot compete against China and Australia and we have only small quantities of what Government calls \u2018critical minerals\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n
She said Oceana Gold was about to dig under a critical biodiversity habitat on conservation lands.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe know many people support our opposition to this type of toxic gold mining and the threats from seabed mining, coal mining and more. The strategy doesn\u2019t tell us how we can mine without toxic results or place any value on the quality of the environment.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are many alternatives to mining to create long-term jobs and protect our climate and biodiversity.\u201d<\/p>\n
She said the strategy was \u201ca failure of leadership\u201d and the group would fight it to protect future generations.<\/p>\n
In July, Jones unveiled a plan to double New Zealand\u2019s geothermal energy production<\/a> by 2040.<\/p>\nJones launched \u201cFrom the Ground Up\u201d \u2013 a draft strategy to unlock New Zealand\u2019s geothermal potential \u2013 for consultation in Taup\u014d.<\/p>\n
![\"Contact]()
Contact Energy\u2019s 174MW geothermal power station at Tauhara began operating in May 2025.<\/p>\n
He said the strategy sought to position the country as a global leader in sustainable geothermal development.<\/p>\n
\u201cNew Zealand was at the forefront of global utilisation of geothermal energy for electricity generation, and today the sector is a vital contributor to our economy as part of our energy sector, tourism and beyond.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jones will return to New Zealand on November 1.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cNew Zealand will return to this year\u2019s conference as an exhibitor, supported by local operators keen to collaborate…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":87243,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[8038,26345,95,1975,55867,2837,2355,1437,3499,1019,2176,2752,6722,111,43,139,69,6046,32732,42306,8279,312,7228,1529,61,3010,11744,2963],"class_list":["post-87242","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-zealand","tag-natural","tag-agenda","tag-and","tag-at","tag-conferences","tag-during","tag-geothermal","tag-global","tag-growth","tag-international","tag-jones","tag-mining","tag-minister","tag-new-zealand","tag-news","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-potential","tag-promote","tag-promoting","tag-resources","tag-says","tag-shane","tag-three","tag-to","tag-top","tag-upcoming","tag-zealands"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87242","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=87242"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87242\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/87243"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=87242"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=87242"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=87242"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}