David Farrar: Damien now anti mining

When Damien O’Connor was standing on the West Coast, he was pro mining. He was even accused of being out of step with his party.

But now he has left the West Coast, he is now passionately anti-mining. The Post reports:

Bob Edlin: Remember when John Key backed down on mining plans?.....

Remember when John Key backed down on mining plans? Let’s see if Luxon can dig in and hold his ground

The Minister responsible for RMA Reform shied from giving guarantees about protecting the Waitākere Ranges under new planning and development laws when questioned in Parliament yesterday.

The PM was no more committed to protecting World Heritage sites. To the contrary, he declared he was gung-ho about mining – and he wasn’t too fussed about where miners should dig.

Ryan Bridge: There's still too much uncertainty around mining

New Zealand First’s mining policy hits all the right notes but ultimately is not worth the paper it’s written on.

I’ll tell you why.

On the whole, Kiwis don’t mind a bit of mining, so long as there are good jobs to be had in the right place — preferably not the middle of Milford Sound.

Ryan Bridge: Here we go again with nonsense on mining

The same crowd who moan and complain when we don't have enough cash to upgrade schools or pay teachers and nurses more are the same lot who throw eggs at Crown cars and chant 'shame' at ribbon cuttings for mining operations.

The latest whinge is about Otago Council giving road access to some Aussie gold miners to mine gold in an area that was basically founded on doing just that.

Point of Order: Buzz from the Beehive - 31/1/25

Not only can we drive faster – our chances of hitting potholes are being reduced (thanks to a $3.9bn govt investment)

Great news flowed today from Transport Minister Chris Bishop. Fresh from enabling us to put the foot down and drive at higher speeds on several roads and highways, today Bishop said potholes are being repaired more quickly, too.

Around 98 per cent of potholes on state highways are being repaired within 24 hours of identification every month since targets were introduced, he says.

Damien Grant: Are we in a cyclical downturn - or is this something darker?

Are we in a cyclical downturn, or are we on the precipice of something darker?

In the Half Year Economic and Fiscal Update; the HYEFU, released on Tuesday, Treasury believes the former. Things are difficult, with economic growth in the current fiscal year (ending in June 2025) expected to be just 0.5%, but will bounce back to 3.3% the following year.

Sadly for the economists at Number One the Terrace, the quants at the Department of Statistics debunked that optimism on, let me see, Wednesday. Our economy shrank one percent in the September quarter and all indications are the economy continues to contract. It would require a heroic surge in productive output in the remaining six months to get us to half a percent economic growth this fiscal year.

Point of Order: Buzz from the Beehive - 29/10/24

Freedom of speech – Judith Collins sounds a caution against criminalising what people say

Judith Collins has gone out to bat for our right to freedom of speech.

She cautioned against criminalising speech that forms part of public discourse.

Speech that was offsensive or insulting should be condemned, but “without always needing to resort to measures that create a chilling effect on freedom of expression.”

Samir Bhattacharya: Two world giants are vying to control this vital resource

New Delhi is eyeing Africa for critical minerals that are instrumental in shaping the nation’s energy transition, as well as establishing it as a leading power in the Global South.

Lithium, frequently dubbed “white gold,” is pivotal to modern industries and technology. Rechargeable lithium-based batteries are essential in storing solar and wind energy as well as in powering electric cars. Lithium-ion batteries, which have a long lifespan and excellent energy density, are also utilized to produce consumer electronics goods such as laptops and smartphones.

Dr Bryce Edwards: As “the megaphone” for mining, is Shane Jones too lax on lobbying?

As the Minister for Resources, Shanes Jones is happy to declare that he’s on the side of the mining companies, proclaiming that no one “should doubt that I am the megaphone of industry in this government.”

While many will appreciate his dogged championing of such businesses and the economic benefits they bring, there should be some doubts about whether his extreme enthusiasm for assisting mining companies could lead to improper or even corrupted decision-making.

Point of Order: Buzz from the Beehive - 12/7/24

An OECD report shows why Seymour is intent on shredding red tape

Our daily monitor of ministerial machinations and Beehive braying has been on the blink for the past week, alas. No, not a technical problem. Rather, a matter of ill-health.

Today we are catching up and herewith record the headlines posted on the government’s official website since we last buzzed on July 4.

Jeffrey McNeill: Resource management is always political

Resource management is always political – the Fast-track Approvals Bill is just honest about it

The government’s Fast-track Approvals Bill has been widely criticised for potentially handing too much power to three cabinet ministers, and raising the risk of conflicts of interest and political interference in environmental management.

Ironically, the bill also helps demonstrate why the original Resource Management Act (RMA) was always doomed to fail – and what its replacement will have to get right.

JC: Jones Calls a Spade a Spade and Wants to Use It

If there’s one politician in the current parliament who stands out as not being afraid to speak out against the woke and ideological left it is Shane Jones. Here is a man who takes no prisoners. What he does take is a pragmatic approach to what he sees as necessary for New Zealand’s economic future, resilience, prosperity and, not to put too fine a point on it, its very survival. Ideology and singing from the songbook of the Greens Sisterhood, as he calls them, is not for him.

Ele Ludemann: Protest banner doesn’t make truth

Among the torrent of accusations of environmental rape and pillage lodged against the Fast Track Legislation comes the voice of reason:

The notion that the Fast-track Approvals Bill somehow paves the way to destroy the environment, with vast swathes of the countryside turned into mines, is way off track, says Straterra chief executive, Josie Vidal.

 

“Let’s be clear about that in an environment of misrepresentation of what mining means. A protest banner does not the truth make,” Vidal says.

Kerre Woodham: We live in comfort thanks to the earth's resources

In an ideal world, I would rather not dig up the ground and the sea bed to extract their resources. But we created certainly not an ideal world, but a comfortable world precisely because mankind learnt how to do that, to extract the riches from beneath the Earth's crust. Mankind's gone from living in a harsh and inhospitable environment to living in relative comfort thanks to the extraction of those aforementioned resources that give us light and warmth and convenience and communication, just about every modern technology needs oil or gas or minerals. Whether we like it or not the world needs to mine and drill.

Martin Brook: Mining vital minerals

By not mining vital minerals, NZ is ‘offshoring its own environmental footprint’ – is that fair?

When Resources Minister Shane Jones recently unveiled his draft strategy for mineral mining, it was quickly criticised by the Labour opposition as “taking New Zealand backwards”. One environmental group even called it a “love letter to mining companies”.

But the government’s ambition to double the sector’s export value to NZ$2 billion by 2035, with flow-on effects for local employment and regional economies, deserves a broader debate.

John MacDonald: Shane Jones' billion dollar opportunity

Mining is on the way back.

That’s the message today from Regional Development and Resources Minister Shane Jones who is on the West coast to announce the Government's proposal to double mining exports (which are already worth $1 billion) by allowing mining in some conservation areas - not just for coal, but other minerals too.

Point of Order: Buzz from the Beehive - 24/5/24

Shane Jones has the zeal, sure enough, but is too busy with his mining duties (we suspect) to be available for climate change job

The hacks of the Parliamentary Press Gallery have been able to chip into a rich vein of material on the government’s official website over the past 24 hours.

Among the nuggets is the speech by Regional Development Minister Shane Jones and a press statement to announce the Government’s vision for the future of minerals and the mining industry.

Point of Order: Buzz from the Beehive - 2/5/24

Jones has made plain he isn’t fond of frogs (not the dim-witted ones, at least) – and now we learn he is no kinder to kina

This article was prepared for publication yesterday. More ministerial announcements have been posted on the government’s official website since it was written. We will report on these later today ….now posted above

There we were, thinking the environment is in trouble, when along came Jones.

Point of Order: Buzz from the Beehive - 13/11/23

Luxon looks likely to miss APEC talks – and protests – but his mining stance triggers greenie pledge to raise a fuss here

While Christopher Luxon is meeting with ACT and New Zealand First leaders, trying to sort out a new government, it looks like our caretaker Prime Minister will be in San Francisco, representing this country at APEC.

Point of Order: While the PM and O’Connor were announcing VIP visits......

......Mahuta was pouring out some thoughts on the wretched water bill

News of the government hoovering the red carpet for VIP visits and cleaning up the environment by advancing the green cause emerged from the Beehive yesterday, including another announcement of Māori mātauranga being to the fore in the government’s conservation programme.

And there was a speech from Nanaia Mahuta which affirmed the Water Services Entities Bill is a done deal and (she expects) the bosses of the four new co-governed water entities will be appointed before the end of the year.