EXHIBIT 8

LIST OF SUBSIDIARIES (as at June 24, 2008)

|                                                 |                                   |                                           |                             
|------------------------------------------------ | --------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------- | ----------------------------
|Subsidiary
  Companies                           | Jurisdiction
  of
  Incorporation | Business
  of 
  Subsidiary               | % Ownership &
  Voting Power
|                                                 |                                   |                                           |                             
|Source Rock Holdings
  Limited                   | New Zealand                       | Holding company                           | 100%                        
|                                                 |                                   |                                           |                             
|Austral Pacific Energy
  (NZ) Limited            | New Zealand                       | Oil and gas exploration
  and development | 100%                        
|                                                 |                                   |                                           |                             
|Millennium Oil & Gas
  Limited                   | New Zealand                       | Oil and gas exploration
  and development | 100%                        
|                                                 |                                   |                                           |                             
|Rata Energy Limited                              | New Zealand                       | Oil and gas exploration
  and development | 100%                        
|                                                 |                                   |                                           |                             
|Totara Energy Limited (5)                        | New Zealand                       | Non trading company                       | 100%                        
|                                                 |                                   |                                           |                             
|Titoki Energy Limited (1)                        | New Zealand                       | Oil and gas exploration
  and production  | 100%                        
|                                                 |                                   |                                           |                             
|Puka Energy Limited (2)                          | New Zealand                       | Oil and gas exploration
  and production  | 100%                        
|                                                 |                                   |                                           |                             
|Hebe Energy Limited (2)                          | New Zealand                       | Oil and gas exploration
  and production  | 100%                        
|                                                 |                                   |                                           |                             
|Matai Energy Limited (2)                         | New Zealand                       | Oil and gas exploration
  and production  | 100%                        
|                                                 |                                   |                                           |                             
|Austral Pacific Energy
  (PNG) Limited (2)(3)(4) | Papua New Guinea                  | Oil and gas exploration
  and development | 100%                        
|                                                 |                                   |                                           |                             
|Other:                                           |                                   |                                           |                             
|                                                 |                                   |                                           |                             
|Coral Sea Drilling Limited                       | Papua New Guinea                  | Non trading company                       | 35%                         

|    |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  
|--- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|(1) | Acquisition
  completed November 12, 2007. Name changed from International Resource
  Management Corporation Limited on November 20, 2007.                                                                                                                                                                                                       
|    |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  
|(2) | These
  companies were incorporated in March 2007 (see Note (4) below) and later
  received assignment of various permit interests from Austral Pacific Energy
  (NZ) Limited. Their names were changed from Austral Pacific NZ No.1 Limited,
  Austral Pacific NZ No.2 Limited and Austral Pacific NZ No.3 Limited respectively,
  in June 2007.
|    |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  
|(3) | Voluntary
  de-registration for four Australian companies was filed in July 2007, and
  completed September 24, 2007.                                                                                                                                                                                                                            
|    |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  
|(4) | 12 shelf
  companies (named Austral Pacific NZ No.[numbered
  1 to 12] Limited) were incorporated in New Zealand in late March
  2007, all wholly owned by Austral Pacific Energy (NZ) Limited. 9 of these
  (No.s 4 to 12) are currently non-trading companies.                                                                                 
|    |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  
|(5) | Three
  subsidiaries of Austral Pacific Energy (NZ) Limited (Kanuka Energy Limited,
  Arrowhead Energy Limited and Totara Energy Limited) were amalgamated into one
  company called Totara Energy Limited, with effect from February 1, 2008.                                                                                                   

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