Resources Minister Shane Jones released a minerals strategy document with the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) on Thursday afternoon. It proposed a plan which could help to grow the extractive industries in New Zealand through a stocktake on known mineral potential and relaxation of the consenting regime. The minerals sector exported just over $1 billion in 2022 and Jones hopes to see that number double by 2035 — which would require an annual growth rate of 7.2% each year. In a speech, Jones said New Zealand had a rich history of mining and the sector had played a significant role in how the country has developed over the past 200 years. “Shane Jones has said multiple times that he doesn’t care if a mine destroys habitat of native animals like kiwi or Archie’s frog,” she said.
