33909 (2025). Hon Priyanca Radhakrishnan to the Minister of Conservation

33909 (2025). Hon Priyanca Radhakrishnan to the Minister of Conservation: What was the nature of the miscommunication with OceanaGold about its lizard management plan that led to the Department of Conservation declining their permit application to clear grass and vegetation to expand operations at the Macraes gold mine?

Hon Tama Potaka: I am advised the Department had been engaged in conversations with OceanaGold in 2024 to clarify the detail required for the Lizard Relocation Plan. During that time there was a reprioritisation of wildlife permit applications by OceanaGold, which meant that processing this specific application was paused for four months. The Department further advises it declined the application on the basis it considered the information received was insufficient but now considers this decision was premature. The Department also did not issue a reminder that the application may be declined if the information was not provided in a specified timeframe - so the issue was not able to be rectified prior to the decision to decline the application.