Harnessing Natural Resources: Minister Shane Jones on New Zealand's Path to Economic Prosperity

In this episode, we chat to Honourable Shane Jones, member of the NZ government and the Minister for Oceans and Fisheries, Minister for Regional Development, Minister for Resources, Associate Minister of Finance, and Associate Minister for Energy. Shane entered Parliament in 2005 and joined New Zealand First as an MP in 2017. As a proud born and bred Northlander, Shane has always asked the tough questions, identified policy solutions, and accelerated implementation in his political life …and has been a very vocal supporter of the mining industry, including the possibility of seabed mining. He very much sees New Zealand’s own natural resources as a pathway to economic prosperity, creating regional wealth and jobs.  On the podcast, we discuss what the mining industry means to NZ, the policies the government have, and are looking to implement to make the industry more attractive and why companies should invest into NZ’s mining industry and much more. KEY TAKEAWAYS The New Zealand government, under the leadership of Shane Jones, is committed to revitalising the mining industry, reversing previous bans on oil and gas New Zealand has developed a Critical Minerals List and a mineral strategy aimed at restoring pride in the natural resources sector The introduction of Fast Track legislation aims to streamline the environmental permitting process for mining projects, allowing for quicker allocation of permits  A $200 million co-investment fund has been established to encourage both local and international investment in the mining sector, addressing concerns about potential future government changes BEST MOMENTS "I believe a lot of the climate change hysteria is actually going to wreck Western economies unless we restore some balance to it."  "We've got a kind of figurative Sahara desert of iron sands resource, largely in the ocean."  "Any economy that races ahead, demonises, cancels its fossil fuels industry without an affordable strategy... is dicing with economic calamity."  "No one enjoys a perfect history. So what we've got to do is ensure that mining as it goes forward is strongly defended." VALUABLE RESOURCES A Minerals Strategy for New Zealand - Read more: https://www.mbie.govt.nz/building-and-energy/energy-and-natural-resources/minerals-and-petroleum/strategies/a-minerals-strategy-to-2040 New Zealand’s Critical Minerals List - Read more: https://www.mbie.govt.nz/building-and-energy/energy-and-natural-resources/minerals-and-petroleum/critical-minerals-list/critical-minerals-list-2025 Free access to geoscience data: https://www.nzpam.govt.nz/maps-geoscience/geodata-catalogue https://www.nzpam.govt.nz/maps-geoscience/core-store https://www.nzpam.govt.nz/assets/Uploads/the-mineral-potential-of-new-zealand-part-1-overview-of-new-zealands-mineral-deposits-and-their-resources.pdf Improving regulatory settings - Read more: https://www.nzpam.govt.nz/nz-industry/rules-regulations/fast-track-approvals-process Connecting with New Zealand’s mining sector - Read more: https://mineralscouncil.co.nz/ -Invest NZ - Read more: https://www.nzte.govt.nz/page/invest-or-raise-capital-with-nzte Mail:        rob@mining-international.org LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-tyson-3a26a68/ X:              https://twitter.com/MiningRobTyson YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/DigDeepTheMiningPodcast  Web:        http://www.mining-international.org This episode is sponsored by Hawcroft, leaders in property risk management since 1992. They offer: Insurance risk surveys recognised as an industry standard Construction risk reviews Asset criticality assessments and more Working across over 600 sites globally, Hawcroft supports mining, processing, smelting, power, refining, ports, and rail operations. For bespoke property risk management services, visit www.hawcroft.com CONTACT METHOD rob@mining-international.org https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-tyson-3a26a68/