Minister opens consultation for Block Offer 2017
Minister of Energy and Resources, Hon Simon Bridges has opened consultation with iwi and hapū on Block Offer 2017. Consultation with local authorities will begin on 17 October.
Consultation will take place on two proposed onshore block areas, one proposed onshore/nearshore block area, and four proposed offshore block areas, covering a total area of around 508,691 square kilometres.
The proposal includes:
- Offshore Northland-Reinga basins (150,566 square kilometres)
- Onshore Taranaki Basin (1,242 square kilometres)
- Onshore/nearshore Northern Taranaki Basin (1,475 square kilometres)
- Offshore Taranaki Basin (64,978 square kilometres)
- Offshore Pegasus and East Coast North Island Basins (75,180 square kilometres)
- Offshore Canterbury- Great South Basin (210,884 square kilometres)
- Onshore Southland (4,366 square kilometres)
The purpose of the consultation is to identify areas of sensitivity or significance that the Minister needs to be aware of. This could include sites that might need to be protected for their cultural, social or spiritual significance. Submitters can ask the Minister to remove these blocks or areas within blocks, or put conditions on any permits over certain areas to protect them.
At this stage, we seek the views of the public through consultation with local authorities. This allows us to gain a better understanding of community views and any relevant regional issues (such as restrictions on drilling in the district plan). Due to local body elections, consultation will start on 17 October and ends, 18 November.
Once consultation is complete, New Zealand Petroleum and Minerals (NZP&M) will provide advice to the Minister who will decide the final blocks to be released for tender March next year.