Australian mining magnate and long-time philanthropist Andrew "Twiggy"Forrest has donated A$65 million ($NZ73.9m) to universities in Western Australia.

A tweet that appeared to suggest Israel had attacked Syria sent US oil prices soaring - until traders realised the post referred to the 40th anniversary of a war.

A report into the oil and gas sector says the "rubber's finally hitting the road" with $2.2 billion about to be spent exploring around New Zealand.

New Zealand Oil & Gas says it should have been developing new oil fields by now as reserves at its producing assets dwindle.

The Government has opened up much of the volcanic plateau for gold and silver prospecting, including one of the largest tracts of native forest left in the North Island.

Huntly East miners have lashed out at those in charge of debt-laden state-owned coal miner Solid Energy.

Let's get one thing straight. Chatham Rock Phosphate wouldn't be considering extracting phosphate nodules from a tiny fraction.

Australia's mining investment boom could fall away faster than anticipated, but there's still uncertainty about how non-mining sectors will rebalance the economy.

Rising oil and gas prices will make solar, wind and tidal energy, some types of biofuels, and even nuclear generation more attractive, writes Wayne Cartwright.

The decision by the police not to lay criminal charges against Pike management again shreds the hearts of the victims' families, writes Gerard Morris.

Western Australia, the state that led the mining boom, is now bleeding, shedding thousands of jobs, sacking public servants, and battling a sharply declining economy.

In her judgment against what was in many respects a phantom company on trial, Judge Jane Farish was clear about where the buck should stop, writes Fran O'Sullivan.

Herein lies the opportunity for NZ, writes Frank Duffield. Its resource base is largely underexplored, and world-scale natural gas discoveries are quite possible.

Well-connected lobbyists Saunders Unsworth worked with Solid Energy, Treasury and Cabinet Ministers to thwart questions about the company's problems.

An independent review of events leading to Solid Energy's near collapse has raised questions.

Solid Energy withheld financial information from Treasury when challenged on its business plans in what an independent report says was a pattern of disrespect.

An independent review of events leading to Solid Energy's near-collapse has raised questions over Treasury's response to early warning signs of trouble.

Conservationists fighting a decision to allow an Australian mining company to dig for coal on the West Coast's Denniston Plateau have suffered a major setback today.

The Denniston Plateau deal shows that National and the mining industry have learned their lesson from their last attempt to mine on conservation land.

Greymouth Petroleum director Jim Sturgess must take primary responsibility for the "destruction of trust" between himself and two other board members at the oil and gas company.

A High Court hearing gets underway in Christchurch this morning as environmental groups try more ways to stall mining on the Denniston Plateau.

Newmont Waihi Gold hopes to start work on its controversial $1 billion Correnso underground mine around the middle of next year.

Auditor General Lyn Provost says she will not carry out an inquiry into what led Solid Energy to the brink of collapse this year.

Bathurst Resources has cleared another hurdle in its struggle to start coal mining on the Denniston Plateau near Westport but still needs the blessing of courts and faces tough market conditions.