New Zealand Approves New Oil and Gas Production as Energy Security Concerns Grow

New Zealand’s petroleum and mining regulator has granted a 10-year petroleum mining permit in the onshore Taranaki region as the country looks to boost natural gas supply to the domestic market. The regulator, New Zealand Petroleum and Minerals (NZP&M), on Thursday granted Matahio NZ Onshore Limited a 10-year petroleum mining permit in the onshore Taranaki region for the Puka field, a small oil and gas field discovered in 2012. Included in the permit area is the promising Oru prospect, the New Zealand government said. The new petroleum…