33900 (2025). Hon Priyanca Radhakrishnan to the Minister of Conservation

33900 (2025). Hon Priyanca Radhakrishnan to the Minister of Conservation: Which Ministers or their staff contacted him or his office about the Department of Conservation’s decision to decline OceanaGold’s permit application to clear grass and vegetation to expand operations at the Macraes gold mine and what was the date and nature of each of those contacts?

Hon Tama Potaka: As I was not informed about the declined application at the time the decision was made by the Department of Conservation (as noted in my answer to WPQ 33898 (2025)), no Ministers or their staff contacted me or my office about the Department of Conservation’s decision to decline OceanaGold’s permit application to clear grass and vegetation to expand operations at the Macraes gold mine. Following correspondence from OceanaGold received on 6 July 2025, other Ministerial offices that received the letter, including the Minister for Resources, Minister for RMA Reform and the Prime Minister, contacted my office to transfer the correspondence to me as the relevant portfolio Minister.