The granting of permits to prospect for minerals in conservation areas triggered protests, such as this one in Northland’s Manginangina Scenic Reserve, near Kerikeri, in 2023. Photo: Supplied / Forest and Bird
An Australian mining giant has surrendered all but one of its prospecting and exploration permits in New Zealand.
A spokeswoman for MBIE confirmed Mineralogy International Limited - owned by controversial mining magnate Clive Palmer - applied to surrender 15 of its 16 permits around the country last December.
The permits allowed the company to carry out prospecting and exploration for a mix of gold and other minerals - mainly lithium and rare earth elements - and covered about 225,000 hectares in Northland, Waikato, Canterbury and the West Coast.
Conservation land was included in the permits.
New Zealand Petroleum and Minerals, the government agency that oversees the mining sector, granted the applications to give up the permits late last month.
Environmental and hapū groups opposed to mining in Northland's Whangaroa area claimed credit for Mineralogy's withdrawal, saying it was a direct response to community protest.
RNZ contacted Mineralogy to ask why the company had given up its permits but was referred to a public relations firm. That firm did not respond.
The MBIE spokeswoman said Mineralogy's sole remaining New Zealand permit was in the Waikato region and covered exploration for all metallic minerals.
She said Mineralogy had told the agency it was withdrawing from prospecting and exploration in New Zealand to "refocus its portfolio strategy".
Permits were subject to annual fees and minimum work requirements, so it was not unusual for companies to surrender permits in the early stages of exploration.
Spokeswoman for the Whangaroa Stop Toxic Mining Alliance KATI Dannie Samuels-Thomas said Mineralogy's withdrawal was a direct response to the objections of local residents and community leaders.
"It's a testament to the strength of our collective voice and our commitment to protecting our sacred lands. We thank Mineralogy for listening to our concerns and respecting our right to say no to destructive mining practices in our rohe."
She said the group was grateful to the people of Ngāi Tupango, Ngāti Ruamahue, Ngāti Kura and Te Rūnanga o Whāingaroa, as well as environmental groups Forest and Bird and Greenpeace for their support.
Robyn Tauroa, of Kāeo-based Te Rūnanga o Whāingaroa, was among those celebrating the company's withdrawal.
"The land is sacred to us, and the river, the forest, the mountain - they're not just resources to be extracted. They are our tūpuna, our family. We will never allow outside interests to poison our whenua," she said.
Forest and Bird, together with Northland hapū, staged a series of protests in 2023 at Manginangina Scenic Reserve, in Puketī Forest, and Whakarara Conservation Area at Te Ngaere Bay, both of which were included in the prospecting permits.
Prospecting typically involves aerial surveys and geologists taking samples with hand tools to determine which minerals are present.
Exploration is typically the more intensive next step and can make use of diggers and drills.
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