Oil Free Otago is pleased to hear of the surrender of the final exploration permit in Aotearoa’s southern ocean.

The final permit, brazenly named “Toroa” by the oil industry, situated east of Stewart Island in the Great South Basin, was surrendered this week by Singapore based New Zealand Oil and Gas (NZOG).

“It’s no surprise that this company has quietly withdrawn its Toroa permit and finally given up” said Dunedin grandmother and Oil Free Otago Spokesperson Rosemary Penwarden.

“It’s no surprise they couldn’t find a willing investor to explore for unburnable oil and gas in one of the wildest oceans of the world. Any new discovery would be unburnable because we already have more oil and gas than we can possibly burn if we are to save a liveable climate. A single dollar more spent on fruitless exploration for more fossil fuels is a dollar wasted, a dollar that now should be spent on helping protect, not destroy, the climate.”

Oil Free Otago would especially like to thank all who, over the past ten years, built opposition to deep sea oil and gas drilling in the Canterbury and Great South Basins.

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