An announcement on mining conservation land is still weeks away, Prime Minister John Key says.He told reporters in Seoul, Korea, today that he would take part in cabinet discussions before decisions were made.Mr Key's Asian trip kept him away from yesterd
An announcement on mining conservation land is still weeks away, Prime Minister John Key says.
He told reporters in Seoul, Korea, today that he would take part in cabinet discussions before decisions were made.
Mr Key's Asian trip kept him away from yesterday's cabinet meeting, and he won't be back in time for next Monday's.
"We went through a consultation process, we're starting to form some views and reflect on the input from the public," he said.
"There are a number of parts we want to form a view on, including the role the Environmental Protection Agency will play...there's a number of different things happening and we're trying to co-ordinate them."
Mr Key said the government had approached the issue "with an open ear" and had listened to the public.
"A number of views have come through in that process."
The government carried out a stocktake of valuable mineral deposits in conservation land, including parts of the estate that are protected from mining through schedule four of the Crown Minerals Act.
It issued a discussion document earlier this year proposing to open about 7000ha of schedule four land to prospecting, including parts of Great Barrier Island and the Coromandel.
There has been strong public opposition to any mining of conservation land, and a protest march through Auckland drew more than 40,000 people.
