The majority of New Zealanders do not trust mining companies to restore conservation land after mining is complete and do not believe royalties paid to the government are adequate, a new poll shows.The government plans to remove areas of conservation land
The majority of New Zealanders do not trust mining companies to restore conservation land after mining is complete and do not believe royalties paid to the government are adequate, a new poll shows.
The government plans to remove areas of conservation land from the protection of schedule four of the Crown Minerals Act.
The poll, by the New Zealand Business Council for Sustainable Development, questioned 2215 people.
Of those, 51% said they did not trust the mining industry to fully restore Schedule four areas after mining was finished.
Twenty-five percent said they would trust the industry to fully restore the area, 15% did not feel strongly either way and 9%t did not know.
Sixty percent said royalties paid to the government -- currently 1.5% of net revenue from the first $1.5 million and two percent after that -- was not high enough. Fifteen percent thought it was oksay.
Green Party co-leader Metiria Turei said the poll showed a majority of New Zealanders opposed mining on Schedule 4 land, regardless of any potential royalty revenue, jobs, or wealth benefits.
"It is now crystal clear. The more New Zealanders learn about our pristine places, the more they like them and want to protect them."
