About New Zealand Petroleum & Minerals
New Zealand Petroleum & Minerals (NZP&M) is a brand name used by the Resource Markets branch of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE).
NZP&M regulates the right to prospect, explore, and mine Crown-owned minerals on behalf of the Minister of Resources.
New Zealand Petroleum & Minerals has a role in the Fast-track process
MBIE administers the Crown Minerals Act 1991 (CMA), and issues permits to operators to explore and develop New Zealand’s mineral and petroleum resources based on their technical and financial competence.
In return for a permit, operators must pay fees and royalties and provide NZP&M with technical information, including geoscience and geospatial information. NZP&M monitor operators’ compliance with their permits and make sure New Zealand is getting a fair financial return for the nation’s petroleum and mineral resources.
You can apply for a mining permit through the Fast-track process. To use this process to apply for a mining permit for 1 or more deposits of 1 or more minerals, you must:
hold an exploration permit relating to those minerals issued under the CMA, or have an existing privilege as defined in the CMA, for example a mining licence
have more than three months remaining on your exploration permit, or existing privilege, before it expires, when applying for a substantive application
be applying for an area of land that is within, or the same as, the area of land to which those exploration permits, or existing privileges, apply
propose that those exploration permits, or existing privileges, be surrendered in relation to the area of land over which the approval is sought
propose that the term of the approval is no more than 40 years.
You must ensure that your application does not include an ineligible activity.
Meaning of ineligible activity – Fast-track Approvals Act 2024 – New Zealand legislation website
The Fast-track process guides applicants
If you make a Fast-track application, the Fast-track team and the application process will guide your work with NZP&M. The Fast-track team will help applicants connect with the right people at NZP&M.
Information on mining permits
The NZP&M website includes guidance for operators on how to apply for a minerals or petroleum mining permit. This guidance is for operators applying directly under the Crown Minerals Act, but it has useful information for those applying under the Fast-track process.
Information on applying for a minerals mining permit:
Apply for a minerals Tier 1 or Tier 2 mining permit – New Zealand Petroleum & Minerals
Information on applying for a petroleum mining permit:
APP-01 – Petroleum – New permit – New Zealand Petroleum & Minerals
Minerals guidelines: