PM says Te Kuha coal mine will never get a resource consent

The Prime Minister said the controversial Te Kuha mine on high value conservation land will never get a resource consent in response to Green Party questions in Parliament today.

The proposed West Coast coal mine will knock the top off Mount Te Kuha, cut down 700 year-old rimu, pollute creeks with mining runoff, and result in the discharge of around 11 million tonnes of carbon dioxide. When confronted with some of the details of the proposal, the Prime Minister said “if that was the activity, then it would never get a resource consent”.

“When confronted by the realities of open cast coal mining, the Prime Minister responded like anyone else would, believing good process would protect high value conservation land from coal mining,” said Green Party conservation spokesperson Mojo Mathers.

“However, it is clear that good process has not been followed with the Department of Conservation (DOC) – nature’s statutory defender – putting in a weak submission which neither supported nor opposed the resource consent application for Stevenson Mining’s proposed open cast mine on Mt Te Kuha.

“Why is Bill English saying the proposed mine would never get a consent given the damage it will do, but DOC is staying neutral about it?

“I’m concerned that Government Ministers and other Government agencies such as the Ministry of Business and Innovation may be preventing DOC from speaking out.

“The law requires DOC to preserve and protect conservation land. DOC is responsible for safeguarding our native plants and wildlife and wild landscapes. DOC must not be pressured into neglecting its core responsibilities,” said Ms Mathers.

Action

Oppose New Zealand First’s Member’s Bill!

Support Trans Rights | Oppose the Gender Definition Bill

Action

Reject the Defining Gender Bill

Reject the Legislation (Definitions of Woman and Man) Amendment Bill introduced by New Zealand First.

Action

Disability Support System - Submission Guide

Uphold disability rights so disabled people and their whānau can thrive. Oppose the Disability Support Services Bill

Action

Oppose the 2026 budget

Sign our petition to show you oppose the Government's 2026 budget

Action

Leave our homes alone!

The Green Party is calling on the Government to stop its attack on people living in public housing - join our call today!

Action

Drug Overdose (Assistance Protection) Legislation Bill Submission Guide

Support Green MP Kahurangi Carter’s Bill to protect overdose emergency callers from legal risks!

Action

Keep Fees Free

Join our call to keep Fees Free for tertiary education!

Action

Protect Conservation Land

Sign out petition to oppose the Conservation Amendment Bill and protect conservation land!

Action

Stop the Fisheries Amendment Bill

Sign today to protect our moana.

Action

Electrify everything

Show your support for a National Electrification Plan!

Action

A home for everybody

A home for everybody - sign and share the open letter today!

Action

Tell us your stories about our special places

Share with us your stories about the places threatened by being fast tracked for mining permits.

Action

Protect our tamariki - Sign the open letter

Every child in Aotearoa deserves to grow up with safety and stability, wrapped in aroha. Sign our open letter today and help make that a reality!

Action

Local Events

We have activists across Aotearoa / New Zealand who are working hard to build a brighter future for our kids and grandkids. This page lists upcomin...

Latest Environment Announcements

Story

$30m for school drinking water safety is a start but pollution keeps flowing

The Green Party is welcoming Government investment of $30m into school drinking water following their questions on the issue, but warns rural commu...

“End of an era” as Government law change disestablishes Ministry for the Environment

The Green Party is condemning the Government’s disestablishment of the Ministry for the Environment, following the law change required to scrap the...

NZ democracy at risk of corporate corruption - Green Party backs urgent inquiry

Allegations that the Prime Minister’s office withheld information about backroom lobbying by major climate polluters - ahead of legislating to prev...

Action needed on widespread drinking water problems

The Green Party says while it is relieved the cause of the recent 'boil water' notice in Auckland was easily addressed, more action is needed to de...

9,000 students faced unsafe drinking water at school last year

The Green Party has released data showing 9000 students across more than 70 schools and pre-schools faced unsafe drinking water in 2025, with water...

Fast-track Decision Looms on Destructive Waitaha Hydro Scheme

The Green Party says the Fast Track expert panel should turn down the previously declined ‘Waitaha Hydro’ project, which if approved will destroy a...

Story

Bill would protect public conservation land this Government wants to mine

Green Party Member Lan Pham's Bill to prohibit mining on conservation land has been drawn from the ballot today.

Luxon’s Government guts conservation protections

The Green Party says the Government is bringing in the bulldozers to rip up New Zealand’s precious landscapes by making it easier to privatise publ...

Government sacrifices nature to the bulldozer

Christopher Luxon’s Government continues to show its true colours on environmental protection, today rejecting most of the advice of expert panels ...

Wildlife law change a deep betrayal of public trust

The Green Party is appalled by the Government’s use of urgency to rewrite the Wildlife Act–without consultation, without an impact statement, and i...

Govt funding for biodiversity an embarrassment

The Government’s newly announced funding for biodiversity and tourism of $30-million over three years is a small fraction of what is required for c...

Labour must deliver on No New Mines

The Green Party is disappointed tonight that the Government has voted down Eugenie Sage’s members’ bill to stop new mining on conservation land. Th...