1. Texas of the South? Economic Development, Petroleum and
Environmental Conflict in New Zealand
Dr Terrence Loomis

2. Benefits of Unconventional Oil and Gas
Energy security
Geopolitical influence
GDP growth
Cheaper gas and fuels
Employment
Environmentally safe and responsible
Gas a ‘transition fuel’ to a low-carbon economy

3. Harmful Effects of Unconventional Oil & Gas Development
Types of Impacts
Examples of Negative Impacts
Economic
• Exaggerated local employment claims
• Damage to other business sectors
• Infrastructure costs
• Housing availability and land values
• Pressure on services and civil administration
Environmental and Health
• Methane leakage and climate change
• Surface and groundwater contamination
• Waste treatment problems
• Air pollution and health problems
• Increased seismicity (earthquakes)
Social
• Municipal government overload
• Dislocation, homelessness
• Increased crime
• Social conflict, widening disparities
Cultural
• Disruption to indigenous peoples’ life
• Heritage and amenity destruction
• Upheaval in community identity & networks

4. My Research
Government manoeuvres and petroleum industry strategies to promote oil and gas development and defend the industry.
How environmental organisations, community groups and Maori activists have responded to these manoeuvres and strategies.
The structural (i.e. institutional) effects of government and industry collaborative efforts to deal with community-based opposition and local government sector criticism.

5. Government’s Key Legislative Manoeuvres
The Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA)
Exclusive Economic Zone and Continental Shelf (Environmental Effects) Act 2012 (EEZCSA)
The Crown Minerals Act 1991 (CMA)
The Local Government Act 2002 (LGA)

6. Government’s Oil and Gas Promotional Activities
‘Factual’ Information Dissemination
Official Propaganda, Cheerleading and Jawboning
Subverting Community Power and Environmental Protest
Agenda-driven Funding: Buying International Investment and Community Compliance
Local Government Gate-Keeping and Advocacy

7. NZ Petroleum Industry Strategies
PR spin and ‘reasoned’ debate
Neutralising environmental opposition
Influencing government policies and regulations
Co-opting communities and ‘partnering’ with iwi

8. The social system of production, distribution and accumulation can be understood as a group of structures linked by certain rules and laws.
-- Maurice Godelier

9. The Regulation Triangle
Corporations
Citizens/Workers
Government

10. Changing Institutional Relations in New Zealand
Petroleum
Industry
Community/Local
Government Sector
Government

11. Institutions for Resource Management and Regional/Local Development Planning
Government structures and procedures for developing resource management and safety policies, legislation, regulations, monitoring and enforcement
Environment courts
Extractive industry environmental impact planning and community engagement policies
Regional council resource planning and monitoring systems
Local resource consenting and appeals processes
Local council long-term planning, and local structures and processes for planning and implementing economic development.

12. Shifts in State/Civil Sector Institutional Values and Priorities
From localism to centralism
From inclusive, active citizen engagement to ‘representative’ and government-driven local/regional development planning
From ‘sustainable development’ to ‘sustainable growth’ (economic growth priority)

13. An imprint of Rowman & Littlefield, Lanham, MD USA
Lexington Books
An imprint of Rowman & Littlefield, Lanham, MD USA