Tickets for sale for West Coast Minerals Forum 2024
Minerals West Coast recently announced tickets are for sale for the upcoming West Coast Minerals Forum on Thursday the 3rd of October.
All information about the forum, including ticket prices, how to purchase tickets, and the itinerary of speakers (which is subject to change), can be found on Minerals West Coast’s website by clicking here.
This year’s forum is being held in the gold mining township of Ross, on the 160th anniversary of the discovery of gold on the West Coast in 1864.
The line-up of speakers includes operators of small through to large exploration and mining projects, regulators such as New Zealand Petroleum and Minerals, the West Coast Regional Council, the Department of Conservation, and WorkSafe, and elected representatives such as the minister for resources, Shane Jones, and undersecretary for resource management reform, Simon Court.
Tickets are limited to about 150 due to the capacity of the venue. As such Minerals West Coast recommends booking sooner rather than later if you would like to be certain of attending. projects
Submission on changes to Resource Management Act's freshwater and biodversity policy
Minerals West Coast recently lodged its submission on proposed changes to the Resource Management Act’s national policy statements/environmental standards relating to indigenous biodiversity and freshwater ecosystems. The relevent sections of these changes regarding mining were the focus of Minerals West Coast’s written submission, which can be found here.
The written submission was lodged on the 30th of June. In mid-July Minerals West Coast’s manager, Patrick Phelps, addressed parliament’s primary production select committee to discuss the submission. This verbal address can be viewed on YouTube by clicking here, or viewed below.
Media coverage of mineral royalty settings in New Zealand
With the coalition government prioritising the growth of New Zealand’s mining industry, some public figures have been questioning whether New Zealand’s existing mineral royalty rates are delivering a fair return to the Crown from mining operations.
A 1News article which aired on the 7th of July analysed this issue. The article can be viewed below, or by clicking here.
Following the 1News article Minerals West Coast further analysed this issue and looked at historic adjustments to the royalty rate under previous governments. This analysis can be viewed by clicking here, or watching the video below.
Talking mining and protesting on NewstalkZB
On Saturday the 8th of June thousands of protestors marched in Auckland against the proposed Fast Track Approvals Bill, in part due to opposition to mining. On Sunday the 9th of June resources minister, Shane Jones, announced the reversal of the previous government’s oil and gas exploration ban.
On Newstalk ZB on Monday the 10th of June, Kerre Woodham discussed mining in New Zealand and the motivations of the protestors. Minerals West Coast’s manager, Patrick Phelps, phoned in to talk with Kerre – the call can be listened to by clicking here or by watching the video below.