Crown Minerals Amendment Act 2025 (oil and gas ban repeal)
What it actually does
Lifts the 2018 ban on new petroleum exploration permits outside onshore Taranaki, changes the Act's purpose from managing to promoting minerals exploration, and gives ministers discretion over decommissioning liability for former permit holders. Passed on 31 July 2025 and received royal assent on 5 August 2025.
Source: MBIE · 2025-07
The Trump take
“Drill, Kiwi, drill! They had a ban on oil. A ban on OIL. Can you believe it? Now it's gone. Shane, great job, very strong guy.”parody
Why it scored this way
Energy
Reopens offshore oil and gas exploration
+2
Loves it
Climate
Reverses a climate-motivated ban
+1
Likes it
Red tape
Eases liability and permitting rules for operators
+1
Likes it
On the same topics
Fast-track Approvals Act
Passed in December 2024 along party lines, the Act created a one-stop consenting process for listed infrastructure, housing, mining and energy projects. Final approval decisions sit with expert panels rather than standard resource consent processes.
Fast-track Approvals Act 2024
Creates a one-stop consenting regime for listed infrastructure, housing, energy and mining projects, with expert panels deciding applications and ministers holding a role in referrals. Passed its third reading on 17 December 2024 on coalition votes and received royal assent in December 2024.
Remove the ETS charge from fuel
NZ First would abolish the Emissions Trading Scheme charge on fuel over the next term, which it says added about 12 cents a litre to petrol and 14 cents to diesel over the past year. The party says the ETS took $850 million from consumers and businesses for carbon credits in that period.