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The government is changing tack on its review of mining conservation land.
As opposition to the controversial move heats up, John Key has announced the review will now look at more ordinary land as well as New Zealand's high value conservation estate, a move that environmental groups say is a back down.
Forest and Bird says it has been leaked information showing the government plans to open up another 7,000 hectares of the Department of Conservation (DOC) estate to mining including areas in the Paparoa National Park on the West Coast of the South Island, on Great Barrier Island and in the Coromandel Peninsula.
"Very high conservation values - rare species Kiwi, native frogs, endemic plants - these are important areas - that's why we are concerned," says Forest and Bird Advocacy Manager Kevin Hackwell.
John Key is not quite denying the claims by Forest and Bird.
"I'm just not going to dignify leaked information by saying whether it is right or wrong," says Key.
The government also revealed its mining review has been broadened out from just looking at the high value conservation areas known as schedule four land.
"There are other areas where greater exploration or mining or mineral activity may also be beneficial to New Zealand," says Key.
Green groups are reading that as a back down.
"I think the government is back tracking on this and I think they should be right to do so because it is the wrong thing to do," says Green Part Co-Leader Metiria Turei.
However, mining on DOC land is not new.
"There are already 82 concessions for mining operations on the Department of Conservation estate," says Key.
The government is considering more concessions but says only if economic and environmental goals are balanced.
"If we can't get that balance right if we can't achieve an environmentally friendly we won't do it," says Key.
Although the two sides of the debate may have very different ideas about exactly what environmentally friendly mining means.
