Before an exploration or prospecting permit granted under the Crown Minerals Act 1991 may be exercised over public conservation lands, the permit holder requires permission to enter the land from the Department of Conservation (DOC). Access to conservation land is provided for in the Crown Minerals Act.
If you want to undertake a minimum impact activity then you need to get a consent. If you want to do more than just minimum impact activity, you need an access agreement.
Taking readings off rocks - minimum
impact activities are confined to sampling
using hand methods only
What is a minimum impact activity?
Minimum impact activities are defined in section 2 of the Crown Minerals Act. Minimum impact activities are confined to sampling using hand methods only.
Consent to undertake minimum impact activity is made under sections 49 and 50 of the Crown Minerals Act. The intent of these sections can be paraphrased as “no person may, without the consent of the owner or occupier of the land, enter public conservation land for the purpose of carrying out a minimum impact activity."
Activities other than minimum impact require an access arrangement under sections 54 and 61 of the Crown Minerals Act.
Summary of requirements depending on the type of permit and the activity
| Activity |
Access Requirement |
| Minimum impact |
Consent (Sec’s 49, 50) |
| Other than minimum impact |
Access Arrangement (Sec’s 54, 61) |
Types of public conservation land
There are different categories of conservation land ranging from stewardship land to national parks. Each conservancy has a Conservation Management Strategy (CMS) which is a management plan for land managed within the conservancy and describes the inherent values and purposes of each category of land managed. Schedule 4 of the Crown Minerals Act identifies specific areas of public conservation land where the Minister is restricted in granting access arrangements for other than minimum impact activities.
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