Annual review meetings (petroleum)

About annual review meetings

Each year, petroleum permit holders may be required to attend an annual review meeting. If a permit holder has multiple permits, these will typically be covered in a single meeting.

Meetings usually take place between July and September and can last up to two hours, depending on the complexity of the operation.

We will contact the permit administrator at least 20 working days before the scheduled meeting.

Purpose of the meetings

Annual review meetings provide an opportunity to:

• review the permit holder’s progress against their work programme
• discuss expectations, risks and key decisions ahead
• discuss the next stage of the work programme, where applicable
• discuss acceptable financial security arrangements relating to decommissioning obligations, where applicable
• review the permit holders report on its engagement with iwi and hapū.

Read more information on Iwi engagement review meetings.

They also provide an opportunity for discussion between the permit holder, other invited regulatory agencies and our team.

Meeting agenda

We will set the meeting agenda after consulting with the permit holder.

The agenda may also include the next stage of the work programme of an exploration permit or the next development phase of a mining permit or licence.

The level of detail will depend on upcoming activities in the work programme and the number of permits being reviewed.

Meeting attendees

The meeting must be attended by at least one representative of the permit holder with sufficient expertise and knowledge to discuss the work programme and permit conditions. Others may also attend, with the consent of the permit holder.

Under the Crown Minerals Act 1991, relevant regulatory agencies must be invited to these meetings. Invitations depend on the location and type of permits being discussed.

Agencies we may invite include:

• WorkSafe NZ
• regional and local councils
• the Environmental Protection Authority
• Maritime New Zealand
• the Department of Conservation.

Generally, these agencies are invited to attend the entire meeting. If commercially sensitive information will be discussed, we can adapt the agenda so that agencies attend only the relevant parts.

Meeting records

We will take notes during the meeting and will aim to provide:

• a draft record to attendees within 20 working days
• 15 working days for attendees to provide feedback
• a final record within 20 working days of the feedback deadline.

Relevant legislation

The Crown Minerals Act 1991 and The Minerals Programme for Petroleum 2025 have more information about annual review meetings.

• Section 33D of the Crown Minerals Act 1991 — legislation.govt.nz
• Section 11.7 of the 2025 Minerals Programme for Petroleum [PDF 2.4MB]