The Government is grasping at old fashioned economic strategies in opening up 25 blocks of onshore and offshore areas for oil and gas exploration, the Green Party says.
The Government said yesterday it was seeking bids from oil and gas explorers under a new policy that limits the number and location of new exploration sites.
It allows explorers to target what could be the most prospective blocks and the government to avoid areas of strong opposition to petroleum mining.
But Green Party energy spokesman Gareth Hughes said the move was an old fashioned economic strategy that ignored the potential of renewable energy.
He accused the Government of grabbing the short-term profits but ignoring the risks highlighted by the Rena running aground off Tauranga.
The country received hardly any royalties, taxes or jobs for the considerable environmental risk posed by the exploration, he said.
It was also premature given the Exclusive Economic Zone Bill only started hearing submissions yesterday.
Mr Hughes said the country's focus should be on creating a smart green economy by moving away from mining and drilling, and towards renewable energy.
"If we were to secure just 1 percent of the global renewable energy market in the next five years, we'd create a $5.8 billion industry with 60,000 more green jobs."
None of the 25 blocks on offer are for offshore Northland or East Cape territories, despite both being identified by government scientific efforts to be worthy of exploration.
Maori opposition to deep-sea mining caused disruption to seismic surveying work undertaken early last year for the Brazilian oil major, Petrobras, in the Raukumara Basin, off East Cape.
In the past, companies could apply to explore any area in New Zealand at any time, with only five days for competitive interest to be registered.
NZN