12. Question No. 12—ConservationHon JACQUI DEAN (National—Waitaki) to the Minister of ConservationQuestion No. 12—Conservation12. Hon JACQUI DEAN (National—Waitaki) to the Minister of Conservation: Does she agree with the Speech from the Throne that There will be no new mines on conservation land"?Hon EUGENIE SAGE (Minister of Conservation): I fully support the policy commitment in the Speech from the Throne for no new mines on conservation land and that's why I've been working hard to implement it.Hon Jacqui Dean: How many new mining applications on conservation land have been approved since the Prime Minister's Speech from the Throne when she said that there will be no new mines on conservation land?Hon EUGENIE SAGE: The member should be aware that until that policy commitment has been changed into law we go by the current law. There have been no new open-cast coalmines and no new open-cast goldmines approved under this Government—unlike Minister Nick Smith who approved a big open-cast coalmine on the Denniston Plateau which is now mothballed—Hon Dr Nick Smith: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. The member did not ask how many I had approved. The member asked—SPEAKER: Order! Order! The member will resume his seat. Responsibility for relevance is mine. That member knows that and he knows that he is not allowed to take a point of order during a question of that type. I know the member wants to be thrown out. He's made that obvious through his interjections now and through his interjections when I've been on my feet previously. I'm not going to give him his wish but he will listen to the rest of the answer.Hon EUGENIE SAGE: The Department of Conservation has approved access arrangements for 14 new mining permits. They are alluvial gold mining on the West Coast and small-scale suction dredges in rivers on the West Coast and in Otago.Hon Jacqui Dean: Does she agree with former colleague Catherine Delahunty who said yesterday "If Government will not honour their promise to ban mining in Department of Conservation land the Greens should publicly challenge this failure for every reason including their own credibility." and so does she feel that her credibility is now being undermined?Hon EUGENIE SAGE: I find it ironic that we now have members of the National Party standing up here pushing for protection of conservation land from mining when it was a former National Government that wanted to mine the national parks. I am working to get this commitment in the Speech from the Throne and continue to discuss that with the parties across this Government. Hon Jacqui Dean: Supplementary.SPEAKER: No no. We've expired the number of the questions which the National Party has. I've received a letter from the Hon Michael Woodhouse—Gareth Hughes: Supplementary.SPEAKER: Sorry?Gareth Hughes: I'd like to ask a supplementary please sir.SPEAKER: I'm sorry. The member should be quicker and louder.Gareth Hughes: Has the Minister declined applications for new mines on conservation land?Hon EUGENIE SAGE: The Minister of Energy and Resources the Hon Megan Woods and I declined an application to mine 12 hectares of public conservation land in the Mount Rochfort Conservation Area as part of a 110-hectare open-cast goldmine called Te Kūhā."