Crown Minerals Act 1991
Encyclopedia
The Crown Minerals Act is an Act of Parliament passed in 1991 in New Zealand
. It controls the management of Crown owed minerals. Potential changes to Schedule 4 of the Act created controversy and opposition in 2010. The definition of minerals under the Act is very broad - it includes gravel, industrial rocks, building stone, coal and petroleum.
All gold, silver, uranium and petroleum is under Crown ownership as well as any other minerals that are on Crown owned land.
Major NGOs such as Federated Mountain Clubs and Forest and Bird came out in opposition to the plans.
In March 2010 the government requested public feedback on a discussion document on the removal of 7000 ha of land from Schedule 4. There was a record 37,500 submissions on the document. A protest March Against Mining was organised by Greenpeace NZ on 1 May in Auckland and it attracted an estimated 40,000 people.
On 20 July 2010 the Government announced that in response to receiving 37,552 submissions, the vast majority of which opposed mining, it will not remove any land from Schedule 4.
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. It controls the management of Crown owed minerals. Potential changes to Schedule 4 of the Act created controversy and opposition in 2010. The definition of minerals under the Act is very broad - it includes gravel, industrial rocks, building stone, coal and petroleum.
All gold, silver, uranium and petroleum is under Crown ownership as well as any other minerals that are on Crown owned land.
Schedule 4
In 2009 the National-led government announced that it would review Schedule 4 of the Act, a list of areas for which access for mining is not granted by the Minister of Conservation. The proposal was condemned by critics not only because of the potential environmental impacts, but also because of the associated effects that were feared for the tourism industry.Major NGOs such as Federated Mountain Clubs and Forest and Bird came out in opposition to the plans.
In March 2010 the government requested public feedback on a discussion document on the removal of 7000 ha of land from Schedule 4. There was a record 37,500 submissions on the document. A protest March Against Mining was organised by Greenpeace NZ on 1 May in Auckland and it attracted an estimated 40,000 people.
On 20 July 2010 the Government announced that in response to receiving 37,552 submissions, the vast majority of which opposed mining, it will not remove any land from Schedule 4.
External links
- Text of the Act
- Crown Minerals Act at the Ministry of Economic Development
- Maximising our Mineral Potential: Stocktake of Schedule 4 of the Crown Minerals Act and beyond - Summary of Submissions