Shane Jones: Resources Minister hoping to use Australia trip to entice investment in mining

The Resources Minister is hoping to use an Australia trip to entice investment in New Zealand mining.

Shane Jones is leaving today to attend and speak at the International Mining and Resources Conference in Sydney.

The Government is including mining projects in the fast-track consent legislation and revising overseas investment criteria.

Jones told Tim Beveridge it’s important to amplify the message New Zealand is open for business.

“Too many Kiwis don’t find an opportunity in New Zealand in such work, and by opening it up, attracting investment with the necessary guardrails, New Zealand can add to our GDP by finally using not only the predictable minerals, but rare minerals that we possess.”

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:09):
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Speaker 2 (00:16):
So it's destination Sydney for the Resources Minister who's got
a message for mining companies. New Zealand is open for business.
Australia's largest mining conference has taken place this week and
one Shane Jones is set to speak. He joins me
in our good Morning Sura.

Speaker 3 (00:33):
Good morning folks.

Speaker 2 (00:34):
Did you get a good luck card to send you
on your way from Chloe Swarbrick for this?

Speaker 3 (00:40):
No, no, no, I've given up sort of hoping that
most chinless wonders are going to join my efforts to
boost jobs and GDP from the minerals sector.

Speaker 2 (00:51):
So what are you hoping to achieve?

Speaker 3 (00:53):
What's important that the amplified the message we have a
rich endowment in relation to minerals, although it's been marginalized
too many key wes don't find an opportunity in New
Zealand and such work and by opening it up attracting
investment with the necessary guardrails, New Zealand can add to
our GDP by finally using not only the productable minerals

(01:18):
but rearuth minerals that we possess.

Speaker 2 (01:21):
Have you got a fight on your hand to try
and get companies back to New Zealand.

Speaker 3 (01:27):
It's patchy. Obviously, we've got a large task ahead of
us in order to extract vanadium out of the iron
sands lying off the coast of Taranaki. But those decisions
will be made through economic rationalism and science, not these
haapou and sort of veto orientated green activists down the

(01:50):
West Coast. There's already people who are investing. I think
the fast track will help. Obviously there's a host of
projects that we're unable to get on the fast track
in the first cut. But what are the options unless
we use our natural resources, grow fo explore our water
resource What other options does the regional New Zealand have.

Speaker 2 (02:12):
What sort of opportunities are there in terms of working
more closely with Australia in this space.

Speaker 3 (02:20):
Previously, when I was the Provincial Growth Funded Minister, I
funded the development of a gold mine. The owners are
long since paid the money back to the Crown and
Australian investors put a couple of hundred million in. And
this was down on the West Coast. There's a host
of other opportunities that the Aussies are keen. I'm not

(02:41):
bleased of which is iron, sand's gold. I mean, we
do export a lot of coal. That coal is predominantly
used in the construction of steel. After all, steel and
concrete still underpin most OECD countries and their economic growth,
and a lot of the factories and manufacturers in the
South Island they are dependent on coal because they don't

(03:04):
have the gas resources down there. And I'm the first
to admit that idealism plays a great deal of shows.
It's very influential in relation to politics. But we've got
to be pragmatic. You can't jump out of an airplane
thousands of meters into the sky without having the ability
to parachute into a new destination. And so much of

(03:26):
the climate transition has been driven by alarmism without practical
understanding how important oil, gas and minerals actually are.

Speaker 2 (03:35):
Assuming that you have a good reception there and you
get a bit of momentum moving, when do you think
New Zealanders would actually start noticing a change with our
mining in terms of action actually taking place?

Speaker 3 (03:47):
Oh, within twelve months. The Audies, as I said, are
already keen. They are astounded that our government has finally
decided to stand up against the bigotry driven by green
ideology which is divorced from economics and common sense. Naturally,

(04:09):
they do challenge me as to how sustainable is this
forward leading, leaning, proactive approach for it. I think you
quees need to bear in mind if we want to
grow rich, if you want to boost jobs, we've got
to use our natural resources endowment and it can be
done with suitable card rails. We just need to move
on beyond the shullness and the hysteria that has blighted

(04:30):
the sector.

Speaker 2 (04:31):
Excellent, Sane, I really appreciate your time and have a
great trip. That is Shane Jones, Resources Minister.

Speaker 1 (04:37):
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