Miners and explorers in New Zealand are expected to consult
with stakeholders, keep out of core conservation areas, and operate a high
standard of environmental management and rehabilitation. These requirements are
not difficult to meet, but many of the industry's own actions have brought it to
a low level of general public esteem in New Zealand. Reasons for this are
discussed, drawing examples from the Maruia Society's experiences with the
industry since the mid-1980s. The boundary between core conservation areas and
other land is not easily drawn, and the Maruia Society has sought to work with
the mining industry to promote legislation for net conservation benefit
trade-offs. However this initiative was not successful. Today the industry,
unlike most other major industry sectors in New Zealand, has no accord with the
country's conservation movement.