The Green Party is pledging to revoke consents for any coal, hardrock gold or seabed mining projects, including two in Otago, granted under the fast-track regime if it forms part of a government at next year’s election.
“Today, we are putting the seabed mining, hardrock gold mining and coal mining industries – and their investors – on notice. Your fast-track consents are not safe and they are not secure,” co-leader Marama Davidson said.
The Greens have been warning they would revoke consents as far back as December 2024, when the initial fast-track bill passed its third reading.
Then, it was a pledge to revoke consents that “short-cut our democracy, side-step environmental protections and degrade te taiao.”
Now, it has named seven specific projects it would revoke consents or permits – even though they are yet to be issued.
Davidson said the Greens were making the announcement before consents were issued to “ensure complete transparency”.
Panels are considering the Taranaki VTM project by Trans Tasman Resources, which would extract up to 50 million tonnes of seabed a year in the South Taranaki Bight, and the Waihi North project by Oceana Gold, which would expand gold and silver mining operations in Waihi.
The other five projects are: the Macraes Phase Four in East Otago, Bendigo-Ophir Gold Project in Central Otago, the Buller Plateaux Continuation on the West Coast, the Rotowaro Mine Continuation in Waikato and the Bream Bay Sand Extraction Project in Northland.
While the Greens singled these projects out, any new applications through fast-track that fell into the coal, hardrock gold, or seabed mining categories would be captured by their position, they said.
The government is in the process of amending the fast-track legislation further, with an aim of passing it by the end of this year.
