A group of climate protesters clashed with Minister for Resources Shane Jones in central Wellington today, when he happened to walk by their march down Lambton Quay.
The group of about 30 people walked from Parliament to the Todd Energy building, protesting the proposed repeal of the oil and gas exploration ban.
The march was hurriedly organised by a handful of lobby groups after the public was only given four working days to submit on the Crown Minerals Amendment Bill.
It appeared the minister happened to be in the area when protesters noticed him and began yelling at him, asking why the public was only given a few days to have their say.
Climate protesters in Wellington on Monday, 30 September. Photo: Samuel Rillstone / RNZ
They called Jones a climate extremist and a sell out.
"You're being extreme, you're losing sight of facts," he yelled back.
"You're being hysterical!"
Oil Free Wellington spokesperson Michelle Ducat told RNZ the short notice for submissions was not good enough.
"It diminishes our democracy," she said.
"It says, we're not really interested in what the public have to say."
But Jones said it was plenty of time.
"We had an election about it, the three parties that comprise the government went and asked the permission of New Zealand and we were given that permission," he said.
picture id="4KJ1RZ7_Image_14_jfif" crop="16x10" layout="full"]Climate protesters confronted minister Shane Jones in central Wellington, on Monday.
Oil and gas exploration was vital to keep big industry's lights on, he said.
"We don't have an alternative to gas."
RNZ on Monday revealed the government's own advice on repealing the oil and gas exploration ban says no new gas fields are likely to be discovered and developed in the next 10 years.
The latest modelling, urgently released under the Official Information Act, says in the short term, repealing the ban is unlikely to significantly bolster gas supplies from existing fields, either.