Taranaki Maori knock back onshore oil exploration acreage in new block offer

Taranaki Maori knock back onshore oil exploration acreage in new block offer
By Pattrick Smellie April 29 (BusinessDesk) - The government is courting controversy with Northland iwi over deep-sea drilling in new acreage being offered for oil and gas explorers in the 2013 block offer announced at the AdvantageNZ petroleum conference in Auckland. Energy Minister Simon Bridges announced a total of 1,500 square kilometres of onshore exploration territory and 190,000 sq kms of offshore territory, much of it very lightly explored and including the Northland/Reinga Basin for the first time. Offshore from the west coast of th...