By Rebecca Wright
The public face of the government’s mining proposal, energy minister Gerry Brownlee, has been waging a public relations battle over the policy for nearly a year.
The changing face of the mining debate began in earnest in August with the energy minister announcing his plans, pitching the idea as catching up with Australia.
“The last government spent nine years explaining the gap between Australia and New Zealand as being because of their mineral wealth. What New Zealanders need to know is this country is similarly endowed,” said Mr Brownlee.
The argument fell flat with environmentalists who turned the talk to the government digging up DOC land.
“Any suggestion that the government is about to decimate national parks is utter rubbish,” Mr Brownlee said.
But Forest and Bird began doing some digging of its own and unearthed several sites the government was looking at mining.
The information was leaked and the battlefield moved north to Great Barrier Island.
Mr Brownlee had not been there before but he was all for digging it up.
“In my heart of hearts I can see an opportunity [the Great Barrier being mined] there that will be very difficult to pass,” said Mr Brownlee
That opportunity proved more difficult to sell but Mr Brownlee pushed on, painting this picture at his policy announcement.
Mr Brownlee also said, “To put the issue into perspective the mined area will be the entire size of Eden park”.
Protesters filled the length of Queen St, Mr Brownlee though still was not backing down.
The energy minister said at the time, “I'm not backing away I think there is an opportunity, but I'm one man I want to hear from the rest of the country”.
Mr Brownlee received nearly 40,000 submissions on his mining proposal which is when the backdown began.
"Once the document and contents were leaked from another government agency;tThen I think the whole debate was somewhat derailed from the start," Mr Brownlee says.
Today it came off the tracks, 11 months after he set it in train.
3 News