The Crown Minerals Act (1991) Act (CMA) allows the Minister of Conservation to permit mining access to conservation land if that is in keeping with the Conservation Act and the purpose the land is protected. In reality, the vast majority of access permits are granted, and 82 mining operations are currently underway on conservation land - most are coal mining on the West Coast and others include sand, rock and aggregate mining.

Schedule 4 is the list of our highest value conservation lands that was appended to the CMA in 1997, and is not accessible for mining, other than very low-impact prospecting. It includes all of our National Parks, Wilderness Areas, Marine Reserves and Ecological Areas. The list of places currently protected is here. Some new National Parks and other places were added in 2008.

Adding to and strengthening Schedule 4 needed

The 2008 Briefing to the Incoming Minister of Conservation noted that the previous Labour-led Government had "initiated the preparation of material for consultation with mining and conservation interests on whether certain marine reserves and areas of high value conservation land should be added to Schedule 4." It also noted the Government was considering amending the law so such places would be automatically added when an area was classified with a high-value, e.g. when a new National Park is created. The National-led Government opposes this idea, however 2precious2mine groups will continue to push for these additions [PDF] to Schedule 4, and a law change to make additions automatic.

And remember it’s not just land. The internal waters of the Coromandel Peninsula and our small Marine Reserves are currently the only areas in the marine environment protected from mining by Schedule 4. All other marine areas are open to mining, and mining the seafloor beyond the territorial sea (12nm) is not yet covered by any environmental regulations at all.

But Government is reviewing Schedule 4 with a view to mining

In March 2010, the Government announced proposals to remove 7000ha of protected land from Schedule 4, including places in the Coromandel, Great Barrier Island and Paparoa National Park. Geological surveys will scour another 500,000ha of Schedule 4 land, and further afield, with the intention of removing further areas from Schedule 4 for mining. The survey - which we're paying for at a cost of $4 million - includes the Coromandel Peninsula, Kahurangi, Paparoa, Mount Aspiring and Rakiura National Parks as well as undefined places like 'the central North Island' and 'Central Otago and Westland'. Some areas to be surveyed are part of the renowned Te Wahi Pounamu World Heritage Area.

This follows the Minister of Energy and Resources' August 2009 announcement of a review of Schedule 4 with the view to removing areas for mining. Despite accusations from the Government, the threat to National Parks, including Mt Aspiring NP and the WHA, and Forest and Bird's information about the initial targets have all been confirmed to be true. It is high conservation value land at stake.

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