A trip to Australia next week to meet mining sector operators and investors will signal New Zealand is once again open for business, Resources Minister Shane Jones says.

The visit is also an opportunity to build relationships with Australian state and federal counterparts and learn from their experiences as New Zealand seeks to develop a strategic, enduring minerals sector.

“This Coalition Government is committed to utilising our mineral reserves to boost regional opportunities and jobs, increase our self-sufficiency, improve energy security and resilience, and drive our export-led focus on economic recovery,” Mr Jones says.

“We have made significant progress, through the draft Minerals Strategy for New Zealand and an upcoming Amendment Bill to the Crown Minerals Act, to get the right direction and settings in place to unlock New Zealand’s natural resource opportunities. The creation of a Critical Minerals List and stocktake of our resources are underway, but we also need to be proactive and visible to rebuild international investor confidence.

“I’ll be meeting with current and potential operators and investors about the opportunities in the New Zealand resources market and am keen to hear industry perspectives on what they might consider to be barriers to entry.

“My message to Australia is that New Zealand is once again open for business to responsible operators that want to join us in realising the potential of our minerals and petroleum estate while enhancing prosperity for New Zealanders.”

As well as engagements with the minerals and petroleum industries, Mr Jones will meet federal, Victorian, and Western Australia Government representatives.

Mr Jones will leave for Perth on 7 July before travelling to Melbourne, and will return to New Zealand on 12 July.