New NZ Government to Overturn Ban on Offshore Oil, Gas Exploration

The move will allow energy companies to apply for exploration and mining permits in the Taranaki region and other offshore areas again.

(L-R) Winston Peters, leader of New Zealand First party, New Zealand's incoming Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, and David Seymour, leader of the ACT New Zealand party, attend the signing of an agreement to form a three-party coalition government at Parliament in Wellington on Nov. 24, 2023. Marty Melville/AFP via Getty Images

New Zealand’s new government will move to overturn a total ban on offshore oil and gas exploration following the formation of a new three-party coalition.

On Nov. 24, New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon unveiled the country’s government cabinet, composed of politicians from the centre-right Nationals Party, the nationalist NZ First Party, and the libertarian ACT New Zealand.