Draft decision and conditions
On 9 November 2026, the Central and Southern Block Mining expert panel released its draft decision and conditions.
The panel proposes to grant the approvals sought in this application.
Minute 29 of the expert panel (PDF, 299KB)
Under section 70 of the Act, an expert panel must invite comments on the draft conditions from:
- the applicant
- every person or group that provided comments under section 35 or 53
- any local authority or other body with a statutory responsibility to enforce or monitor compliance with the conditions.
Under section 72 of the Act, an expert panel must invite comments on the draft decision, including any draft conditions, from:
- the Minister for Māori Crown Relations: Te Arawhiti
- the Minister for Māori Development.
The panel set a deadline of 16 November 2026 for receiving this response.