Shane Jones schmoozes Aussie mining magnates and jumps behind the wheel of monster truck

Shane Jones with NZ high commissioner to Australia Andrew Needs and Rachel Brooke, First Secretary in Perth.

Shane Jones is in the driving seat to bring Australian mining giants back to New Zealand.

The NZ First deputy leader and Resource Minister is in Western Australia visiting mining sites and Kiwis who work in the mines to gauge their appetites about returning to New Zealand to mine.

Yesterday Jones was the first MP to get behind the wheel of Sonic, the battery-electric monster-of-a-truck.

Matua Shane, first politician behind the wheel of Sonic the battery-electric monster-of-a-truck 💪💪

Matua Shane, first politician behind the wheel of Sonic the battery-electric monster-of-a-truck 💪💪

Posted by Shane Jones on Monday 8 July 2024

Meanwhile Trans Tasman Resources, who have spent years trying to secure consents to mine off the coast south of Ōpunake, has made another application - this time under the name of Ngarara Exploration for a prospecting permit for vanadium, which is being touted as a safer alternate for lithium in batteries.

Māori climate activist Tuhi-Ao Bailey.

But Taranaki environmental activist Tuhi-Ao Bailey says it has little hope of being granted.

“We use Ngarara for someone who’s been a little tutu and annoying everyone,” Bailey said.

“I don’t know who is putting money into these companies but it’s just going down the hole, like even if they do get a fast-track approval these companies are going to fight each other in the courts and that will cost millions so I’m hoping this will never happen and it will just go on with court battles and the lawyers will get their food paid for.”

Bailey says the miners will have to fight not only iwi and environmentalists but commercial and recreational fishers, offshore wind farms, oil and gas and local communities.

Additional reporting Peter Verschaffelt, WaateaNews.Com