Labour's Shane Jones has used the rat-cunning skills that got him to the top of Maori fishing politics to manoeuvre his boss, David Cunliffe, into adopting new realism on offshore oil and gas exploration.
Protesters against deep sea oil exploration attached a banner to an Anadarko exploratory vessel in Wellington this morning.
Labour is looking at the Norwegian model for regulating the oil and gas industry, including stronger environmental safeguards and steeper taxes.
Big international oil and gas recruitment company Air Energi is moving into New Zealand in what is being described as a vote of confidence in the sector here.
The rewards may be infinite, but a fresh wave of oil exploration in our coastal waters also brings potential for environmental ruin.
Revelations that a "worst-case" oil well blowout in New Zealand waters could take five weeks to plug.
A ''rapid response'' team of up to 260 people has been set up to take to the water to hinder Anadarko's deep-sea drilling operations.
Oil and gas exploration plans such as Shell's for Southland should be subject to the rigours of a public hearing, writes Gary Taylor.
The first taste of petroleum money could be just weeks away in Dunedin, as oil giant Anadarko prepares to move its drilling ship into Otago waters.
Editorial: Just a year ago, the prospects for oil and gas exploration in this country looked bleak. It is particularly welcome, hence, that Shell has announced it will drill an exploratory well in the Great South Basin.
Two southern cities are battling it out for hosting rights to an oil and gas base, after confirmation oil giant Shell wants to drill a test well in the deep south.
A significant gas find in the Great South Basin would provide the largest economic boom to NZ people would ever remember, an analyst said.
Shell hopes drilling will produce Maui-size gas reserves
A poll reveals a striking generation gap in attitudes to mining.
There is increased opposition to the Govt's plans for oil, gas and mineral exploration in the latest Herald-DigiPoll survey - although nearly 60% of respondents still support it.
Environmental groups say a court ruling confirms the approval system for oil and gas drilling waters is a box-ticking exercise, and draft regulations will further reduce public scrutiny.
Officials in New Zealand's leading oil and gas region are rejecting claims that cows are being allowed to graze on land polluted by waste from mining and fracking operations.
Texan oil giant Anadarko's environmental credentials and the future of its New Zealand offshore exploration programme are being questioned as the company faces a US toxic site cleanup and compensation claim which could reach US$14 billion ($16.9 billion).
Greenpeace has opened its case against the Environmental Protection Agency and Texan oil giant Anadarko in the High Court at Wellington.
Energy Minister Simon Bridges has become the victim of a hoax website hack by Greenpeace activists opposed to oil drilling.
International oil and gas giants who have gained permits to explore NZ's seabed and land say they aren't deterred by the prospect of protest as it is a natural part of the petroleum industry.
Government efforts to entice major global oil and gas producers to New Zealand has borne fruit, with Norway's state-owned Statoil and Australian heavyweight Woodside Petroleum winning exploration licences in the latest permit awards.
A 'funeral procession' for New Zealand's endangered Maui's dolphin species is currently winding though Wellington's inner city streets.
Deep-sea oil drilling interests claim our Government could receive $300m from it. Is our "clean, green reputation" worth trading in for that, Matt McCarten asks.
Shane Jones' comments in support of Anadarko's deep sea oil drilling has left Labour scrambling to reconcile those views with the opposition voiced by other MPs.