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Crown Minerals Act 1991

Preliminary provisions - Minerals owned by the Crown

10: Petroleum, gold, silver, and uranium

You could also call this:

"Minerals like petroleum, gold, silver, and uranium belong to the Crown, not the landowner."

Illustration for Crown Minerals Act 1991

If you find petroleum, gold, silver, or uranium in its natural state in the ground, it belongs to the Crown. This means that even if someone owns the land, the Crown still owns these minerals. The Crown owns these minerals whether the land was once owned by the Crown or not, and this rule applies even if other laws or documents say something different.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM246310.

Topics:
Environment and resources > Conservation
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"You must follow all laws, not just this one"

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11: Minerals reserved to Crown, or

"The government keeps ownership of minerals like coal and gold in land it sells or leases."

Part 1Preliminary provisions
Minerals owned by the Crown

10Petroleum, gold, silver, and uranium

  1. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in any Act or in any Crown grant, record of title, lease, or other instrument of title, all petroleum, gold, silver, and uranium existing in its natural condition in land (whether or not the land has been alienated from the Crown) shall be the property of the Crown.

Notes
  • Section 10: amended, on , by section 250 of the Land Transfer Act 2017 (2017 No 30).