Listen to The Country online: NZ First MP Shane Jones on stagflation and tsunami alerts
Today on The Country radio show, host Jamie Mackay catches up with NZ First MP, Shane Jones, to talk about the economy, stagflation and an upcoming Te Puke Rugby Club fundraiser. Plus, he reveals why he slept through the tsunami alert.
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RNZ News
21 hours ago
- RNZ News
Climate activists compared to medieval crusaders by minister
Resources Minister Shane Jones says climate change activists are waging a Holy War. Photo: RNZ / Mark Papalii Resources Minister Shane Jones has compared climate activists to medieval crusaders, saying they are waging a Holy War. But protesters have hit back, claiming it's the government that's stuck in the dark ages. For nine days, two activists from the group Climate Liberation Aotearoa had been camped in coal buckets at Stockton Mine , north of Westport. They were protesting Bathurst Resources' plans to expand the mine under the government's fast track law. Activists claimed miners were waging a campaign of harassment, including firing a shotgun in the area to intimidate them. But Bathurst Resources chief executive Richard Tacon dismissed the claims of a firearm being used, saying it was bird-scaring to keep animals away from the area. Jones said the protesters were putting jobs at risk. "I think we're going to see more of this and I just say to the protesters today we posted the worst possible unemployment stats since 2020, as we deal with the Covid hangover, you're putting jobs at risk. Why is your moral crusade more important than the hundreds of jobs at stake in the event that this mine cannot operate efficiently?" Jones said. "A level of arrogance, a level of moral superiority that deserves our condemnation." He expressed surprise that police had not been able to trespass the protesters. "Let's face it - these climate change debates are turning into a holy war, some sort of medieval crusade. And it's just something that we're going to have to cope with until such time more New Zealanders stand up for economic resilience and not luxury beliefs," Jones said. He did not agree with any of the protesters' concerns. "This is coking coal," Jones said. "The last time I checked, capitalism was built on steel. And all we're doing is taking highly desirable coking coal, selling it to people who regard it as a cleaner sort of coal for steel production and yes, we're entitled to protest... but I do feel in this case where it threatens the feasibility of ongoing employment, I think their moral crusade is more about personal arrogance now." Two Climate Liberation Aotearoa protesters used the aerial rope way down to Ngakawau to access a coal bucket for a sit-in protest. Photo: Supplied Adam Currie, of activist group Aotearoa 350, claimed protesters were the ones supporting a stable jobs and a sustainable economy. "We're the ones standing up for economic resilience. The West Coast deserves better than boom and bust coal cycles," he said. "I'd say to the minister that we all deserve good, stable jobs that we can rely on for decades to come, and yet boom and bust coal cycles do not provide that. We need clean, good jobs that we can rely on, such as care work, such as health work, such as investing in the coast - which this government's consistently refused to do - and so it's incredibly hypocritical that he's calling us the ones that are bad for the economy. "We're the ones that really believe in the coast and we really believe in an economic future that's not reliant on coal and this is coal that is not keeping the lights on in New Zealand. It is coal that is completely 100 percent for export and it's for the benefit of Australian and Singaporean foreign investors. This is not helping New Zealand." He dismissed comparison of protesters to Crusaders. "It's this government that is stuck in the Middle Ages by continuing to burn boom and bust coal for the benefit of foreign investors," Currie said. "It's this government that is stuck in the Middle Ages for continuing to focus on dodgy coal mining that is bad for the economy and is killing the climate that we all rely on. We've just had the climate-fuelled storm in Nelson, where we're all still cleaning up from it and from trashing the Denniston Plateau to causing asthma in children - coal poses an existential threat to the world we live in." Richard Tacon said the protest was costing a "f***ing fortune". "We have been trying to make things uncomfortable for them for sure... but I can tell you there are no firearms," Tacon said. They had tried to communicate with the protesters about what was being mined at Stockton and the risk the two activists in the coal bucket were taking, he said. "It's a high-quality coking coal. It's not going into boilers... it's going into steel," Tacon said. "We have had this discussion with them and they couldn't care less. This coal leads to lower emissions going into steel making. "I firmly believe the organisers of this have put two people into a place of great peril. It's only luck that they are still alive. These buckets can fall off. We have tried communicating this to them and they won't let us communicate with them. "If I put two people in that situation, I'd be prosecuted." The workers and the community were understandably frustrated by the protesters' actions, Tacon said. "Our people are really pissed off. It's costing them money." Police said officers were continuing to monitor the activity at Stockton Mine. "Police are also assessing allegations made by both parties, and will deal with the complaints appropriately based on their merit," West Coast response manager Senior Sergeant Brent Cook said. "Our role is to uphold the law, and we will take action where activity becomes unlawful. "A bird scarer has also been set off in the area, and enquiries have determined there is no threat to safety. We ask people leave the matter for police to deal with." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Scoop
a day ago
- Scoop
Could Northland's Marsden Point be NZ's first ‘Special Economic Zone'?
Article – RNZ Regional Development Minister Shane Jones and New Zealand First leader Winston Peters have visited Northland to inspect a jet fuel storage project on the site of the old oil refinery. , Northland reporter A 'Special Economic Zone' at Northland's Marsden Point could supercharge the region's – if not the country's – economy, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Jones and New Zealand First leader Winston Peters visited Marsden Point on Tuesday to inspect a jet fuel storage project, while also promoting their vision for encouraging investment around Northland's main port. Peters said the area could 'easily' become New Zealand's first Special Economic Zone. It had New Zealand's best deep-water port, was closest to international shipping lanes, and had plenty of land to build on. 'These zones go a step beyond fast-track legislation. The zones will also have tax regimes that appeal to investors, local and international alike.' Jones said Special Economic Zones already operated in Ireland, Singapore and Croatia. He said increased depreciation, tax 'holidays' in which companies initially paid no tax, and attractive regulatory regimes could be used to attract large-scale investment in specific areas. Jones admitted the plan was 'unorthodox' and would not say if it was supported by the party's coalition partners – but he believed bold moves were needed because current efforts to grow the economy were not working. 'The Ruth Richardson bare austerity approach … it's not delivering the economic growth we need. Unless we have these kinds of bespoke initiatives, with tax incentives and self-consenting powers, I fear we're just going to be stuck in a rut talking about the same things year after year … and that's not good enough.' He said the party wanted to table Special Economic Zone legislation in the coming year, or take the policy to the next election. Jones was typically provocative when describing how consenting in a Special Economic Zone might work. 'When the zone is created any conditions of an environmental resource management character should be written into the zone. And then, my view is, you just have a couple of engineers in a tin shed somewhere, they can quickly consent things. This business of constipating and protracting all these resource consent processes is making the country broke.' The Marsden Point zone, if created, could incorporate the former oil refinery site, the proposed Northport extension, and a planned dry dock facility for servicing large vessels such as Navy ships and Cook Strait ferries. A rail link between the port and Northland's existing railway line was also vital for the development of Marsden Point, Jones said. Meanwhile, the aviation fuel tank the ministers came to inspect was being constructed by Channel Infrastructure on the former Marsden Point oil refinery site. Jones said it would boost New Zealand's resilience at a time of increasing geopolitical instability. Channel chief executive Rob Buchanan said the 30-million-litre tank had previously been used for crude oil and was being adapted for jet fuel at cost of up to $30m, in partnership with Z Energy. It would hold enough fuel for 10,000 flights between Auckland and Wellington. Once complete it would increase total storage of jet fuel, petrol and diesel at Marsden Point to about 300 million litres. Buchanan said it was not the only project bringing life back to the site where oil refining ended in 2022. 'One of the projects we're working on very actively at the moment is repurposing the old refinery into a biorefinery, which could produce diesel and jet fuel. That's with some international partners because it would be a very significant amount of capital investment. It'd be really exciting to bring back manufacturing capacity,' he said. Buchanan would not say what would be used as the raw material, citing business confidentiality. A decision as to whether the biorefinery would go ahead was expected next year. Both Jones and Peters expressed disappointment at the oil refinery's closure, but with the cost of reopening it estimated at $5-7 billion, Jones accepted that was not going to happen. 'We're over that chapter and we have to support new industry and new investment,' he said. Peters said the Marsden Point rail project, which was part of the coalition agreement, was continuing to make progress. Almost all the land required had been bought and KiwiRail had completed the design work. The 19 kilometre rail spur between Oakleigh, south of Whangārei, and Northport had initially been estimated to cost $1 billion. Peters said he would not accept such a high cost. In the coming weeks KiwiRail would share its designs, on a confidential basis, with other potential builders, he said. 'We're going to get value for money. And if we don't get it from New Zealanders we'll get it from international competition. That's why I can guarantee you we're not talking about a billion dollars or anything like it.' Construction had originally been due to begin in late 2026 or early 2027 but Jones said that had been delayed. The other major project planned for Marsden Point was a dry dock expected to cost $400-500m. Jones said it would be a public-private partnership part-funded by the Regional Infrastructure Fund. Shortlisted companies had until May to submit Requests for Proposal. Jones said the government was 'getting closer' to choosing a successful bidder.
Scoop
a day ago
- Scoop
Could Northland's Marsden Point be NZ's first 'Special Economic Zone'?
A 'Special Economic Zone' at Northland's Marsden Point could supercharge the region's - if not the country's - economy, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Jones and New Zealand First leader Winston Peters visited Marsden Point on Tuesday to inspect a jet fuel storage project, while also promoting their vision for encouraging investment around Northland's main port. Peters said the area could "easily" become New Zealand's first Special Economic Zone. It had New Zealand's best deep-water port, was closest to international shipping lanes, and had plenty of land to build on. "These zones go a step beyond fast-track legislation. The zones will also have tax regimes that appeal to investors, local and international alike." Jones said Special Economic Zones already operated in Ireland, Singapore and Croatia. He said increased depreciation, tax "holidays" in which companies initially paid no tax, and attractive regulatory regimes could be used to attract large-scale investment in specific areas. Jones admitted the plan was "unorthodox" and would not say if it was supported by the party's coalition partners - but he believed bold moves were needed because current efforts to grow the economy were not working. "The Ruth Richardson bare austerity approach … it's not delivering the economic growth we need. Unless we have these kinds of bespoke initiatives, with tax incentives and self-consenting powers, I fear we're just going to be stuck in a rut talking about the same things year after year … and that's not good enough." He said the party wanted to table Special Economic Zone legislation in the coming year, or take the policy to the next election. Jones was typically provocative when describing how consenting in a Special Economic Zone might work. "When the zone is created any conditions of an environmental resource management character should be written into the zone. And then, my view is, you just have a couple of engineers in a tin shed somewhere, they can quickly consent things. This business of constipating and protracting all these resource consent processes is making the country broke." The Marsden Point zone, if created, could incorporate the former oil refinery site, the proposed Northport extension, and a planned dry dock facility for servicing large vessels such as Navy ships and Cook Strait ferries. A rail link between the port and Northland's existing railway line was also vital for the development of Marsden Point, Jones said. Meanwhile, the aviation fuel tank the ministers came to inspect was being constructed by Channel Infrastructure on the former Marsden Point oil refinery site. Jones said it would boost New Zealand's resilience at a time of increasing geopolitical instability. Channel chief executive Rob Buchanan said the 30-million-litre tank had previously been used for crude oil and was being adapted for jet fuel at cost of up to $30m, in partnership with Z Energy. It would hold enough fuel for 10,000 flights between Auckland and Wellington. Once complete it would increase total storage of jet fuel, petrol and diesel at Marsden Point to about 300 million litres. Buchanan said it was not the only project bringing life back to the site where oil refining ended in 2022. "One of the projects we're working on very actively at the moment is repurposing the old refinery into a biorefinery, which could produce diesel and jet fuel. That's with some international partners because it would be a very significant amount of capital investment. It'd be really exciting to bring back manufacturing capacity," he said. Buchanan would not say what would be used as the raw material, citing business confidentiality. A decision as to whether the biorefinery would go ahead was expected next year. Both Jones and Peters expressed disappointment at the oil refinery's closure, but with the cost of reopening it estimated at $5-7 billion, Jones accepted that was not going to happen. "We're over that chapter and we have to support new industry and new investment," he said. Peters said the Marsden Point rail project, which was part of the coalition agreement, was continuing to make progress. Almost all the land required had been bought and KiwiRail had completed the design work. The 19 kilometre rail spur between Oakleigh, south of Whangārei, and Northport had initially been estimated to cost $1 billion. Peters said he would not accept such a high cost. In the coming weeks KiwiRail would share its designs, on a confidential basis, with other potential builders, he said. "We're going to get value for money. And if we don't get it from New Zealanders we'll get it from international competition. That's why I can guarantee you we're not talking about a billion dollars or anything like it." Construction had originally been due to begin in late 2026 or early 2027 but Jones said that had been delayed. The other major project planned for Marsden Point was a dry dock expected to cost $400-500m. Jones said it would be a public-private partnership part-funded by the Regional Infrastructure Fund. Shortlisted companies had until May to submit Requests for Proposal. Jones said the government was "getting closer" to choosing a successful bidder.
