By Celsias team
Posted on June 3, 2010. Listed in:
A review of legislation for the country’s potentially lucrative Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) is on the cards, says Environment Minister Nick Smith.
Speaking at this morning’s Environmental Defence Society conference in Auckland, Smith said a lack of proper environmental review process for the EEZ – which reaches out to the 200 nautical mile limit - was a “defect” in New Zealand’s environmental management, reported stuff.co.nz.
The news of a legislative review of the country’s potentially mineral rich EEZ is no surprise. It comes two days after Gerry Brownlee’s big announcement that Brazilian oil giant Petrobras have been awarded an exploration permit for a 12,000 sq km area off the North Island’s East Cape. With the BP oil spill disaster a deadly reminder of what can happen when things go wrong, the pressure is now on the Government to prove it can manage the environmental impacts of opening New Zealand up to deep sea oil and mineral exploration.
Unsurprisingly, Smith told the conference it was time the country maximised economic opportunities available in the EEZ. However, the current disaster unfolding off the coast of the US showed that New Zealand’s needed to “kick the tyres pretty hard” on its own systems of environmental protection. New legislation was likely to be tabled later in the year.
