Excitement has been building around New Zealand's
mineral endowment since the National Party took office in 2008 and
began promoting a pro-development agenda. So much so that the
normally buttoned down Ministry of Business, Innovation and
Employment is now saying "the size of the prize could be
economy-changing (country making)".
The Government's relentless positivity about the
sector's potential may be beginning to infect the general
public. A recent New Zealand Herald-DigiPoll survey found that 27%
of those polled supported increased oil and gas exploration and
that a further 40% were cautiously supportive.
But National will not have forgotten the hit it took in its
first term when it tried to open more of the conservation estate to
mining. It knows that the politics are tricky and that it is up
against the considerable campaign skills of the New Zealand
environmental movement – and the redoubtable Lucy
Lawless.
