Consultation opens on updated Minerals and Petroleum Programmes

The Minerals Programme for Petroleum 2013 and the Minerals Programme for Minerals (Excluding Petroleum) 2013 set out how the Minister for Resources and delegated decision-makers will exercise their powers and interpret and apply specific provisions in the CMA, and associated regulations. The Programmes also provide general operational guidance.

“The Programmes were last updated in 2013 and since then, there have been a number of amendments to the CMA, and further changes are proposed through the Crown Minerals Amendment Bill 2024 which is currently progressing through Parliament,” says John Buick-Constable, National Manager Petroleum and Minerals.

“To ensure an effective and efficient regulatory experience at an operational level, we have drafted updated Programmes to reflect recent amendments and proposed legislative changes.”

“The updates include new chapters on decommissioning and Tier 3 minerals mining permits to be added to the Petroleum and Minerals Programmes respectively, new allocation methods for petroleum permits to be introduced in the Petroleum Programme, technical amendments to give effect to a range of other CMA policy changes, and general changes to correct errors, update information and reduce regulatory inefficiencies.”

“We are now consulting on those updated drafts to understand if they provide the clarity permit and licence holders, applicants, iwi and hapū need on how policies and provisions in the CMA will be applied.”

Mr Buick-Constable says the scope of consultation is limited to the operational application of the updated Programmes and NZP&M is not seeking feedback on policy decisions and positions, including those being progressed in the Crown Minerals Amendment Bill 2024.

The closing date for submissions is 11 February 2025, with recommendations expected to be made to the Minister of Resources in March 2025 before Cabinet decisions.

Read more on the updated Programmes and make a submission