This member's bill, in the name of Hon Julie Anne Genter, amends the Crown Minerals Act to prohibit new coal mines and any expansion of existing coal mines after 1 January 2025. Its general policy statement grounds the prohibition in two aims: protecting the climate from the greenhouse gas emissions generated by burning coal — citing the need to phase out coal mining to stay within the 1.5 degree window agreed under the Paris Agreement — and better protecting New Zealand's landscapes. The statement points to mining in coal measure landscapes such as the Denniston Plateau as having permanently changed those landscapes, cleared slow-growing vegetation, and destroyed the habitat of threatened species. Existing coal mines could continue operating within their current footprint; the prohibition targets new mines and expansions.
This bill amends the Crown Minerals Act to prohibit new coal mines and any expansion of existing coal mines after a set date, while allowing existing mines to continue operating within their current footprint. Its general policy statement grounds the prohibition in protecting the climate from the greenhouse gas emissions of burning coal, citing the need to phase out coal to stay within the 1.5 degree Paris Agreement goal, and in protecting landscapes, pointing to permanent change to coal-measure landscapes such as the Denniston Plateau and loss of threatened-species habitat.
Supporters argue that ending new coal mining is necessary for climate goals and to protect distinctive landscapes and ecosystems. Others counter the effect on regional economies, jobs, and energy or industrial uses of coal, and argue that decisions should weigh those costs case by case rather than through a blanket prohibition.
See the Parliament.nz ↗ site for the full bill.