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Crown Minerals Act 1991

1A: Purpose

You could also call this:

"The purpose of this law is to help New Zealand benefit from its minerals in a fair and responsible way."

Illustration for Crown Minerals Act 1991

The purpose of the Crown Minerals Act 1991 is to promote prospecting for, exploration for, and mining of Crown owned minerals for the benefit of New Zealand. This Act helps to allocate rights to prospect for, explore for, and mine Crown owned minerals in an efficient way. You can find more information about the amendments to this Act in the Crown Minerals Amendment Act 2013 and the Crown Minerals Amendment Act 2025.

The Act also helps to manage and regulate the exercise of those rights, and makes sure that activities are carried out in accordance with good industry practice. The Act aims to get a fair financial return to the Crown for its minerals. This means that the government wants to make sure it gets a fair amount of money from the minerals that are mined.

The Act is in place to benefit New Zealand as a whole, by promoting the mining of Crown owned minerals in a responsible way.

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This page was last updated on

View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM5222604.

Topics:
Environment and resources > ConservationBusiness > Industry rules
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1: Title and commencement, or

"What the law is called and when it started"

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1B: Provisions affecting application of Act, or

"Special rules that change how the Crown Minerals Act works"

1APurpose

  1. The purpose of this Act is to promote prospecting for, exploration for, and mining of Crown owned minerals for the benefit of New Zealand.

  2. To this end, this Act provides for—

  3. the efficient allocation of rights to prospect for, explore for, and mine Crown owned minerals; and
    1. the effective management and regulation of the exercise of those rights; and
      1. the carrying out, in accordance with good industry practice, of activities in respect of those rights; and
        1. a fair financial return to the Crown for its minerals.

          Notes
          • Section 1A: inserted, on , by section 6 of the Crown Minerals Amendment Act 2013 (2013 No 14).
          • Section 1A(1): amended, on , by section 4 of the Crown Minerals Amendment Act 2025 (2025 No 40).