35.5% of Maui’s dolphin sanctuary opened up for oil drilling
22 March 2017
35.5% of Maui’s dolphin
sanctuary opened up for oil drilling
The
Government’s decision to allow oil drilling in 35.5
percent of the North Island Maui’s dolphin sanctuary, as
well as along the shores of picturesque Lake Te Anau and
close to Fiordland National Park, creates major risks for
New Zealand’s clean and green tourism brand, the Green
Party said today.
“There are only 63 Maui’s
Dolphins alive and drilling for oil and gas in the area
that’s supposed to be their sanctuary puts every one of
them at risk,” said Green Party energy and resources
spokesperson Gareth Hughes.
“This is the largest
amount of the Maui’s dolphin sanctuary ever opened up for
oil and gas exploration, ironically at a time when oil
companies are giving
up on exploring in New Zealand.
“Tourists
visiting beautiful Lake Te Anau and on their way into
Milford Sound would be horrified by Energy Minister Judith
Collins’ decision to allow fossil fuel exploration in this
part of the country.
“We could see oil rigs along
the shores of Lake Te Anau and within 2 km of the Fiordland
National Park.
“Yesterday the
Government revealed it was facing a $800-855 million
liability for decommissioning old oil rigs and today it’s
opening up new areas for oil exploration and
drilling.
“National’s priorities are all
backwards. We should be backing local companies to become
world leaders in clean energy technology, not bending over
backwards to try and attract overseas oil companies to New
Zealand,” Mr Hughes said.
Note: calculations by
the Parliamentary Library show that the combined total area
of potential and current oil and gas exploration and
drilling in the 11,953 sq km West Coast Marine Mammal
Sanctuary is 4,242 sq km. This is comprised of three
existing permits in the sanctuary totalling 597.2 sq km plus
3,645 sq km of currently unpermitted sea being made
available. The Block Offer also includes 53 sq km of
Department of Conservation stewardship land in
Southland.