Effects of Increasing Mining on Crown Land Prepared for the New Zealand Government

New Zealand’s government is looking for ways to improve the country’s productivity and global competitiveness. One option is to open up some sections of Crown land to mining. However, both tourism and agricultural exports could be impacted by negative perceptions of such mining. This report is directed at the New Zealand government and will employ a systems thinking approach to address the question of:

‘What is the effect of increasing mining on Crown land?’

A variety of stakeholders have interests in the issue of mining on Crown land. These include various government organisations, the mining industry, environmental activists and the New Zealand residents who stand to either gain or lose from mining.

A Causal Loop Diagram is used to show how mining on Crown land might increase government revenue but also negatively impact Ecotourism and New Zealand’s green image. A Behaviour Over Time chart examines four of the variables and displays the likely dynamics of the system. Based on this analysis, we have concluded that increased mining cannot be allowed without some degree of risk mitigation. A number of leverage points are identified and used to frame an intervention strategy.

The primary policy suggestion is to create a Mining Rehabilitation Fund which would include funds for both environmental rehabilitation and public relations engagement. Ultimately, it would aim to mitigate the negative consequences of mining and allow New Zealand to benefit from its mineral resources in a responsible manner.

The complete Systems Thinking Study of the Effects of Increasing Mining on Crown Land Prepared for the New Zealand Government done by team members Souradeep Gupta,Jenet Mwanza ,Rodney Porto,Roshan Ramachandran,Carolyn Shivanandan for Problem Solving & Decision Making course can be found here .