This report analyses the complex system of laws, agencies, and processes that regulate New Zealand's oil and gas industry.

Introduction

In part due to the technique of hydraulic fracturing or ‘fracking’, more wells are being drilled in Taranaki and the amount of gas and oil extracted in the region is rising.

As in many other countries, there has been considerable opposition to fracking in New Zealand - the report deals  with the whole process of drilling for oil and gas, from choosing a well site right through to the abandonment of the well.