Plans by New Zealand Government to mine land with a conservation status have been halted, thanks largely to the massive public outcry generated up and down the country.
The current National government had originally looked to undertake prospecting in several large sections of conservation land, including parts of Great Barrier Island, the Coromandel Peninsula and Paparoa National Park on the West Coast.
However, these plans have now been permanently shelved, and government will instead look to exploit the country's mineral wealth in areas lying outside of conservation boundaries.
According to Greenpeace, the U-turn performed by Government is a huge victory for the environment and future generations of New Zealanders, who don't want the integrity of their country compromised for short-term monetary gain.
The opposition party leader was reported as saying:
The Government is a guardian of New Zealand's conservation estate and it should not be exploited by overseas mining companies at a long term cost to New Zealanders.
Reports stated that public opinion around mining in general was split 50:50, and the contentious issue for most members of the public, in this case, was the rescheduling of land situated in national parks to make it open to future mining.
For more information on this political about-face and the state of mining in New Zealand, check out this in-depth article on Celsias NZ.
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