Crown Minerals Act 1991

Permits, access to land, and other matters - Permits, access to land, and title notations - Access to land other than for minimum impact activity

54: Access to land for minerals other than petroleum

You could also call this:

"Looking for minerals on someone else's land: what you need to know"

Illustration for Crown Minerals Act 1991

If you have a permit to look for or mine minerals, except for petroleum, you must follow certain rules. You cannot prospect, explore, or mine on someone's land without an access arrangement. This arrangement must be agreed to in writing by you and the landowner, or decided by an arbitrator according to the Crown Minerals Act. You do not need an access arrangement if your permit is for land in the continental shelf or the common marine and coastal area. When you get a permit, you must make sure you have the right to access the land before you start any work.

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This page was last updated on 14 August 2025

View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM246704.

Topics:

Environment and resources > ConservationHousing and property > Land use

53: Access to land for petroleum, or

"Rules for accessing land to search for or extract oil and gas"

54A: Access to Schedule 4 land in common marine and coastal area, or

"Rules for accessing special coastal areas with a permit"

Part 1BPermits, access to land, and other matters
Permits, access to land, and title notations: Access to land other than for minimum impact activity

54Access to land for minerals other than petroleum

This section shall not apply to minimum impact activities.
The holder of a permit in respect of a mineral (other than petroleum) shall not prospect, explore, or mine on or in land to which his or her permit relates otherwise than in accordance with an access arrangement—
agreed in writing between the permit holder and each owner and occupier of the land; or
determined by an arbitrator in accordance with this Act.

Subsection (2) does not apply if the permit relates to—
land in the continental shelf; or
land in the common marine and coastal area.

Notes

Section 54(2): amended, on 19 February 2019, by section 13(1) of the Crown Minerals Amendment Act 2019 (2019 No 2).
Section 54(2)(a): substituted, on 28 September 1993, by section 10 of the Crown Minerals Amendment Act 1993 (1993 No 139).
Section 54(2)(b): substituted, on 28 September 1993, by section 10 of the Crown Minerals Amendment Act 1993 (1993 No 139).
Section 54(3): replaced, on 24 May 2013, by section 39 of the Crown Minerals Amendment Act 2013 (2013 No 14).
Section 54(3)(b): replaced, on 19 February 2019, by section 13(2) of the Crown Minerals Amendment Act 2019 (2019 No 2).