Minister plays down park mining

The Green Party has raised concern about the prospect of mining in Fiordland National Park.

Energy and Resources Minister Gerry Brownlee says he does not believe "any significant" mining will be done in national parks.

However, he cannot give a definitive answer on what he regards as "significant" until a stocktake of potential mineral resources is completed by the end of the month.

Papers prepared by officials show there is an estimated $290 billion of minerals beneath Kahurangi National Park in the South Island, Paparoa National Park in Westland, the Coromandel and petroleum under Waitutu Forest in Fiordland.

The Green Party has launched a petition to "save New Zealand's treasured places" and conservation and tourism groups fear mining may result from the stocktake.

Brownlee said it was time to draw breath and think about exactly what the prospects might be.

"I think it's highly unlikely there will be any significant mining in national parks but New Zealanders have a right to know what the mineral estate is there and where it's located."

The papers prepared by the Ministry of Economic Development for Brownlee and Conservation Minister Tim Groser also recommend a change in the procedure for categorising schedule four land - effectively putting it out of bounds to mining,

About 40 per cent or 34,000sq km of Department of Conservation land is covered by the ban and officials want a standardised system for defining schedule four land across the country. The ministers must also rule on whether land heading towards being locked up must first be assessed for mineral potential.

Brownlee said there was a denial about the contribution minerals made to the country.

Taxes and royalties from the oil industry alone added up to $975 million in the last year, he said.

"I think there's a degree of head in the sand stuff. It's all very well to leap out and say, 'Oh my God, the national parks are up for grabs,' but there's a whole lot of practical stuff the mineral recovery industry can achieve. We need to get realistic about that."

The Greens have raised the prospect of mining in Fiordland National Park which co-leader Metiria Turei says would be a "national disgrace" given its iconic status.

"Give me a break - we're not stupid," Brownlee said. "There might be a point where you say the intrinsic value of the untouched estate is far higher than the value of the minerals that can be recovered."

A mining industry group says the low strike rate in making prospects pay will slow development even if more conservation land becomes available for exploration.

Mineral Industry Association chief executive Doug Gordon said that with just one in 1000 prospects ever getting to commercial production there was a commercial governor on mining.

"It's hugely expensive to carry out exploration."