Block Offer 2012

The blocks offered in 2012 covered 40,198.53 km² of offshore seabed and 3305.45 km² of land in Waikato, Taranaki, Tasman, the West Coast and Southland. Land listed under Schedule 4 of the Crown Minerals Act 1991 was excluded from the blocks.

An NZP&M panel has evaluated the bids for each block based on a number of criteria (as set out in the Invitation for Bids), including the bidder’s proposed work programme, technical and financial capability, and corporate profile.

Awarded permits

The following permits were awarded on 11 December 2012:

Permit number	Block	Basin	Permit holder/Joint Venture

Offshore
54858	12PEG1	Pegasus Basin	Anadarko New Zealand Company
54861	12PEG2	Pegasus Basin	Anadarko New Zealand Company
54863	12GS2	Great South Basin	Shell GSB Limited, OMV New Zealand Limited and Mitsui E&P Australia Pty Limited
54865	12TAR9	Taranaki Basin	Todd Exploration Limited and Cue Taranaki Pty Limited
54857	12TAR8	Taranaki Basin	NZOG Canterbury Limited
Onshore
54867	12TAR7	Taranaki Basin	NZEC Manaia Limited and NZOG 38259 Limited
54873	12TAR6	Taranaki Basin	TAG Oil (NZ) Limited
54879	12TAR5	Taranaki Basin	Cheal Petroleum Limited and East West Petroleum (NZ) Limited
54877	12TAR4	Taranaki Basin	Cheal Petroleum Limited and East West Petroleum (NZ) Limited
54876	12TAR3	Taranaki Basin	Cheal Petroleum Limited and East West Petroleum (NZ) Limited

View company information

Want more information on specific permits?

You can view individual permit details, as well as work programmes, by entering the permit number or company name into our online Permit Search.

Next steps

Being awarded an exploration permit is the first of many steps an operator is required to take in order to develop Crown-owned minerals. Should commercially viable reserves be discovered in the process of exploration, a resource could take up to 50 years to produce.

Once an operator is granted an exploration permit onshore or out to 12 nautical miles off the coast, they are also required to apply for any necessary environmental consents under the Resource Management Act 1991, make access arrangements with land holders, and meet health and safety requirements.