Quarterly update for iwi, hapū and whānau Māori with interests in the energy and resources sector.
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Nau mai, haere mai ki te Pānui o Hakihea 2023 - Energy and Resource Markets
This Pānui is a quarterly update that covers relevant information for iwi, hapū and whānau Māori with interests in the energy and resources sector.
The Energy and Resource Markets branch is part of the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment.
This Pānui will cover:
- The critical minerals list for Aotearoa New Zealand – feedback opportunity
- Gas Transition Plan – feedback opportunity
- Sustainable biofuels bill before Parliament
- Strengthening engagement requirements and changes to the Crown Minerals Act
- Progress on offshore renewable energy development
- Geodata Catalogue update
- New Zealand Petroleum & Minerals holiday hours
Aotearoa New Zealand list of critical minerals – feedback opportunity
Minerals are important to our economy and wellbeing. We are planning to develop a list of minerals that are critical to New Zealand to have an affordable and secure supply of.
We hope that this will enable a shared understanding of the minerals facing supply risks that are required to support New Zealand’s economy and wider economic wellbeing now, and into the future.
As part of the first stage in developing a list, we are intending to release a discussion document with our ideas on the purpose, criteria, and potential uses of a list in the new year.
If you would like to hear more about this work or give us your feedback, please get in touch:
Resource.Markets.Policy@mbie.govt.nz
Gas Transition Plan – feedback opportunity
Aotearoa New Zealand has committed to achieving net zero for long-lived gases by 2050 and set a target that 50% of all energy used will come from renewable sources by 2035.
While a managed phase out of fossil gas remains our goal, the change cannot happen overnight. Fossil fuels will be phased out in a way that ensures energy remains secure, reliable, accessible, and affordable for all New Zealanders.
The government is developing a Gas Transition Plan that will set out the immediate steps on a long-term pathway to phasing-out fossil gas in Aotearoa New Zealand. We are also investigating what low emissions technologies could enable the fossil gas sector to lower emissions, including biogas, green hydrogen and Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage (CCUS). The plan will focus on actions through to 2035 for the fossil gas sector to reduce emissions in line with the government's first 3 emissions budgets, while still providing for some fossil gas use in 2035.
MBIE is working with the gas industry co-regulator, the Gas Industry Company, to develop a draft plan. We are looking to hold hui in the New Year to help shape the draft plan before it is released for public consultation in mid-2023. If you are interested in attending a hui or would like to know more about this work, please get in touch with us at: gastransition@mbie.govt.nz
Sustainable biofuels bill before Parliament
A new Bill to reduce transport sector emissions by using cleaner, low-emissions biofuels is now before a parliamentary Select Committee and is open for feedback.
The Sustainable Biofuels Obligation Bill, which passed its first reading on 15 November, will require fuel companies to deploy renewable, low-emissions biofuels in their fuel supply. Biofuels are renewable, low-emissions fuels derived from biological matter like plants, animal wastes, forest residues and other organic material. You can read more about biofuels on the MBIE website at the link below.
Biofuels and the sustainable biofuel obligation
The aim is to reduce the emissions intensity of companies’ fuel supply by a set percentage each year (2.4% for 2024, and 3.5% for 2025). Provisional targets will be set for 2026 and beyond, increasing up to 9% by 2035.
The obligation is set to take effect from 1 April 2024 and will play an important role in helping achieve a managed, phase-out of fossil fuels (in line with the Government’s emissions reduction targets) while ensuring transport remains accessible and affordable for New Zealanders.
Make a submission on the Bill — Parliament website
MBIE is currently working on regulations to support the Bill.
Strengthening engagement requirements and changes to the Crown Minerals Act
The Government has proposed changes to the Crown Minerals Act 1991 (CMA) to create more certainty around engagement between minerals permit holders and iwi and hapū, and give the government greater flexibility in the management of Crown-owned resources.
The CMA currently requires the government to promote mining activities; this Bill would change that by removing the word “promote” in the Act’s purpose statement. This would increase flexibility for when and how often future petroleum exploration permit tenders take place, allowing the government to better align permitting decisions with other policy objectives, including in relation to climate change.
The changes also aim to ensure Māori cultural interests in relation to mining activities are understood and respected. The changes would explicitly provide iwi and hapū opportunities to review and discuss annual iwi engagement reports currently required of Tier 1 permit holders, and enable regulations to specify minimum content requirements for those reports. The changes would also clarify that decision-makers under the CMA may have regard to feedback from hapū and iwi on past permit or licence holder engagement when making permit allocation decisions.
Thank you to all who have provided feedback on the review of the CMA to date. Feedback from the 2019-2020 public consultation and further engagement with Treaty partners in 2021 to February this year has been instrumental in developing the Bill.
Legislation is expected to be passed by the end of 2023 and there will be further opportunities to provide feedback throughout the Select Committee process.
More information about the Bill — MBIE website
Progress on offshore renewable energy development
Government is developing regulation to enable investment and innovation in offshore renewable energy. Offshore renewable energy generated in or on the sea from reusable, infinite natural sources such as wind, ocean currents, light or heat from the sun, rain and geothermal heat presents a meaningful opportunity to significantly reduce our reliance on fossil fuels. As we move away from fossil fuels, offshore renewable energy generation could provide a more stable source of renewable energy, for more constant and predictable generation.
We have been having discussions with iwi where offshore renewable energy generation appears most viable right now, in South Auckland, Waikato, Taranaki and Southland rohe, and we will look to continue these discussions.
Thank you to everyone who has engaged with us so far on this. Your feedback has been very valuable in helping us understand how we can better facilitate discussions with developers and how we can ensure any regulation developed enables Māori participation in offshore renewable energy development.
We are working at pace to deliver these regulatory settings by 2024.
Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions about this work or would like to provide further feedback at this stage: offshorerenewables@mbie.govt.nz
Geodata Catalogue Update
The new geoscience information platform, the Geodata Catalogue (Catalogue), is going live in early February 2023. The Catalogue will replace the Exploration Database, which is being retired.
Exploration Database — NZ Petroleum and Minerals website
The Catalogue is a much more modern system, designed to improve discovery and access to our geoscience information.
The key change for users in the new system is that if you want to download reports or data you will need to register with a RealMe account. Your Exploration Database login details will not work in the new system. You will still be able to browse the Catalogue without logging in.
With the introduction of this Cloud-based platform, we will also be introducing an online submission channel for permit holders. We will share instructions closer to the launch date.
If you have any questions about the new system, please get in touch through nzpam@mbie.govt.nz
Contacting New Zealand Petroleum and Minerals over the holidays
New Zealand Petroleum & Minerals (NZPAM) will be closed from 3pm Friday 23 December until Wednesday 4 January. If you are wanting to contact us via email during this time period, the soonest we will be able to get back to you will be on Thursday the 5 January 2023, this is when your email will be processed. Our phone line will reopen at 8.30am on Wednesday the 4th of January.
While the NZPAM branch will be closed during this time period, the online permitting system, permit web maps and the exploration database will still be available to use.
We wish you a Meri Kirihimete and hope you enjoy your holiday, mā te wā.
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