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What’s the Government up to?
Kaitaia
Auckland
Dargaville
0 100km
Big changes have been made to laws to make oil exploration and
drilling as easy as possible for multinational oil companies, including
dropping the cost of oil exploration permits6.
Simon Bridges, the Minister for Energy and Resources, has beengoing around the world7 telling corporations that we have low
royalties and taxes, free seabed geology information to give them
and that the Government will actively support these companies.
In April 2014, an exploration permit covering a massive area,
larger than the whole North Island, called the Caledonia Basin was
approved for Anadarko (25%), a Chinese Government oil company,
(CNOOC International Limited: 37.5%), and Shell (Energy Holdings
Offshore Limited: 37.5%). Around a quarter of the seismic testing
for this permit has already been carried out during 2014.
Anadarko was found “jointly and severally liable” with BP for the
Gulf of Mexico oil spill. It took over 6000 ships to clean up thatoil spill. Maritime New Zealand has three small boats for its oil
response fleet.
In October 2014, TGS-Nopec Geophysical Company ASA was
given a prospecting permit also covering a seabed area bigger
than the North Island off Northland8.
Statoil’s exploration permit was also extended in December 2014
by 1670 km3 of seabed offshore from Hokianga to Dargaville.
SEISMIC TESTING
This summer Statoil begin their onslaught of seismic ocean blasting - the
first step towards ultra deep sea oil drilling - off Northland. The air blasts are
so loud they create an equivalent noise impact as blasting dynamite in rock
underwater. And this will happen every minute for months on end.
Concerned scientists say the seismic air gun explosions can be heard at least
80 km away underwater. The blasts can damage hearing, which whales rely
on to navigate, and they can be killed if they’re very close to the explosions.
Seismic surveys have been strongly related to whale, dolphin and giant squidstrandings and their deaths at sea3. Reduction in commercial fish catch4 and
other problems have also been highlighted across the world5.
Caledonia Basin: Anadarko /Shell / ChineseGovernment oilcompany permit
Statoilpermit
TGS - Nopec Permit
Current Northland Oil Permits
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Keep the seas of Aotearoa oil free!
For more information email: [email protected]
The Norwegian Government set up an oil company in the 1970s
to find oil beneath the seas around Norway. Statoil began drilling
for oil close to shore and moved into deeper and deeper waters as
oil ran out. Now Statoil operates in 36 countries. If the corporation
found oil here, Statoil would take the vast majority of profits and we
are expected to live with 100% of the risk.
Statoil likes to think of itself as ‘responsible’ and ‘clean’ but
the company is involved in the controversial new drilling for
oil in the Arctic and is only interested in maximising profits.
This year the international price of oil has crashed and Statoil has
made the biggest loss in the company’s history. So now is the best
time for our opposition to have an impact.
Who is Statoil?
This summer we are stepping up the
opposition to deep sea oil drilling in theNorth and a number of regional communitymobilisation groups have formed along thewestern coastline of Taitokerau.
The past few years has seen the Government offer the seabed off the west coast of
Northland to international companies to come and look for oil. Every year more seabed
around country is being opened for oil exploration. Government announcements in
December 2014 cover any new Block Offer permits off western Northland.
You can make contact with them by going to the ‘Protect Te Reinga’ group
on facebook or emailing Mike Smith at: [email protected]
SOURCES
(1) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Diagram_of_a_marine_seismic_survey.png
(2) http://www.nzherald.co.nz/northern-advocate/business/news/article.cfm?c_
id=1503446&objectid=11232100
(3) http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1407/S00224/experts-appalled-at-oil-survey-
threat-to-maui-dolphin.htm
(4) http://www.nrdc.org/oceans/files/seismic.pdf
(5) Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7EbyZwXbJ3Q#t=2961 Study : http://
scitation.aip.org/content/asa/journal/jasa/113/1/10.1121/1.1527962
(6) http://www.nzpam.govt.nz/cms/about-nzpam/news/2014/partial-fees-changes-
approved
(7) http://www.simonbridges.co.nz/index.php?/archives/490-Energy-Minister-to-visit-
Norway,-US-and-Canada.html
(8) http://data.nzpam.govt.nz/PermitWebMaps/Home/StaticMap?permit=56377
What you can do immediately is:
• Make contact with the regional network (see email address above)
• Organise a public meeting in your area and invite us to present the case
against deep sea oil drilling
• Adopt a formal position against the drilling in regard to any organisation you
belong to and communicate this to the Government
• Produce signs and nail them to your fence, house, Marae, letterbox, gate etc
• Declare your area “Deep Sea Oil Drilling Free”
• Tune into the morning show on Radio Te Hiku o Te Ika for regular updates
on the issue
• Participate in the programme of events that will be coming this summer• Check out the Greenpeace website for other information and events
The objective of these groups is to:
1) Raise awareness about the issues
2) Develop a network of community
mobilisation groups across the region
3) Bring pressure to bear on the government
and Statoil by direct action
4) Establish this region’s profile as being
hostile to deep sea oil drilling
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