Proposed minerals strategy to 2040

About the consultation

The consultation included proposals for a Minerals Strategy to 2040.

Minerals play an essential role in New Zealand’s economic growth through the creation of high-paying jobs, delivering funding for the Crown through royalties, and has direct positive impact in the regions where mining takes place and for New Zealand through export revenues. Minerals are also critical inputs into products that are necessary for other sectors to thrive, including the use of aggregates in construction and infrastructure, and development of renewable energy infrastructure for a clean energy transition.

Despite this key function, the minerals sector faces challenges. These include lack of a thorough understanding about our minerals ecosystem, supply chain risks, and a regulatory system that can be improved to enable investment.

Developing a minerals strategy is a fundamental first step in ensuring that we have a strategic framework for resource production so that resource development happens in a responsible manner.

The draft strategy was built on 3 key pillars:

1. Enhancing prosperity for New Zealanders
2. Demonstrating the sector’s value
3. Delivering minerals for a clean energy transition

It discussed the specific actions we could take to position the minerals sector to deliver value in an environmentally responsible manner. 

MBIE asked for feedback on the draft Minerals Strategy, and specifically on the following questions:

• Are the strategic pillars of the Strategy (Enhancing prosperity for New Zealanders, Demonstrating the sector’s value, and Delivering minerals for a clean energy transition) suitable or is there more we need to consider?
• Are the key actions the right ones to deliver on our strategic pillars, and are they ambitious enough? What else might we need to consider?
• Are there opportunities for our minerals sector we haven’t considered?
• Are there challenges for our minerals sector we haven’t considered?
• Are there any other things we have missed that we should include, or things we should not include?

Submissions for the consultation closed 31 July 2024, 5pm.

Summary of submissions

MBIE has summarised the submission it received during consultation:

Key themes from submissions

102 submissions were received from a range of submitters.

The majority of the submissions came from individuals, consultants, and business owners (28% of submissions), minerals industry participants or groups/bodies (21%), and environmental and community groups (16%).

96% of submitters are broadly supportive of developing a plan to manage the future of mining in New Zealand subject to additional considerations.

4% did not support the strategy in its entirety.

The 6 central themes from the submissions are:

• Environmental concerns/protection and stewardship – almost all submitters supported the need to ensure environmental protection and long-term environmental sustainability.
• Honouring Te Tiriti o Waitangi/The Treaty of Waitangi and Māori Partnership – many submitters suggested more meaningful engagement with Māori, upholding Treaty obligations and giving the Treaty relationship prominence in the Strategy.
• Economic considerations/development and social responsibility – almost all submitters touched on the need to balance trade-offs between economic development and managing the social impacts associated with mining, especially in the regions where mining occurs.
• Building social license and improving public perception of mining – many submissions sought a greater role for government to build social license, including sharing factual information about the sector to correct misconceptions.
• Regulatory and procedural improvements/strategic framework – a number of submitters suggested better definition of the strategic pillars, improvements to the regulatory regime, and linkages with other strategies and policies of the Government.
• Innovation, research, circular economy, and recycling – submitters acknowledged the consideration of circular economy and recycling actions in the Strategy, but suggested more emphasis on this action, including scientific research, innovation, and resource recovery from e-waste.

Next steps

Feedback received during consultation will now be used to inform revisions to the strategy, with the aim to release a finalised version before the end of the year.

Relevant documents