Consultation with iwi about eight new areas for oil exploration isn't about ticking boxes, Energy and Resources Minister Simon Bridges says.
He announced today that the area of land and sea available for oil exploration would be doubled next year to 434,000 square kilometres. The blocks include 9900 square kilometres of the South Island's upper West Coast.
Mr Bridges said consultation with local government and iwi would begin tomorrow, and iwi could be confident it would be genuine.
The Government significantly narrowed its offering on the East Coast as a result of iwi concerns various about wahi tapu there last year, he said.
A number of iwi supported exploration because it created jobs, he claimed.
