The Green Party promises to cancel consents for all coal, hardrock gold, and seabed mining projects that were approved through the fast-track process if it enters government after next year’s election.
“We are putting the seabed mining, hardrock gold mining and coal mining industries – and their investors – on notice. Your fast-track consents are not safe, and they are not secure,” co-leader Marama Davidson said.
The Greens have been cautioning since December 2024, when the initial fast-track bill passed its third reading, that they would revoke consents.
At that time, the commitment was to revoke consents that “shortcut our democracy, side-step environmental protections and degrade te taiao.”
Currently, it has identified seven specific projects for which it would revoke consents or permits, despite those approvals not yet being granted. Davidson said the Greens were making the announcement prior to the issuance of consents to “ensure complete transparency”.
Panels are reviewing the Taranaki VTM project by Trans Tasman Resources, which plans to extract up to 50 million tonnes of seabed annually in the South Taranaki Bight, along with the Waihi North project by Oceana Gold, aiming to expand gold and silver mining activities in Waihi.
The remaining five projects include the Buller Plateaux Continuation on the West Coast, the Macraes Phase Four in East Otago, the Bendigo-Ophir Gold Project in Central Otago, the Rotowaro Mine Continuation in Waikato, and the Bream Bay Sand Extraction Project in Northland.
The Greens highlighted these specific projects, but they said their stance would also apply to any new fast-track applications involving coal, hardrock gold, or seabed mining.