Perth junior Alloy Resources may be sounding like a cracked record about the Barrytown mineral sands project when saying talks on a joint venture or sale of the West Coast mineral sands project were continuing.

International scientists joined GNS Science in remodeling work on the Canterbury earthquakes and aftershocks over the next 12 months.

The mighty ExxonMobil might have had some setbacks with shale oil but its background in New Zealand in methanol to gas conversion is being put to good use on an international scale.

Hamish Bohannan has probably been grating his teeth for some time over the snail-paced process of resource consents appeals for Bathurst Resources’ important Escarpment export coal project.

More may be known tomorrow about the future of the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter when key owner Rio Tinto reports on what analysts see could be an interesting write-down of its Pacific Aluminium assets.

Latest figures from NZ Statistics on labour costs in New Zealand show a modest rise in industry wages and a more modest increase in public sector salaries.

Prime Minister John Key stressed on Waitangi Day that partial sale of State Owned Entities was important both to Maori and to the economy but he will be dealing with some strong views expressed yesterday by the Maori Council.

It’s nice to be neighbourly particularly when you are in a remote exploration area and out to sea. Chatham Rock Phosphate has welcomed Chatham Phosphate as a neighbour seeking marine phosphate on Chatham Rise.

The recently appointed chief executive of PEPANZ has wasted little time getting into the public debate on hydraulic fracturing by taking up the issue in the heartland of NZ’s petroleum industry.

New Zealand Petroleum & Minerals has established an online customer service to allow companies in both the oil and gas and minerals industry to monitor and maintain their tenement data.

Chatham Rock Phosphate believes it will be one of the first companies impacted by the new Exclusive Economic Zone so it has made a submission on the legislation.

The Martha mine within the town of Waihi is having an extension through an eastern layback development and now an evaluation will be made on the potential of mineralisation below the pit floor.

A familiar thread in reports by most of New Zealand’s power utilities has been acknowledging the toughness and competitive nature of the market, and that came through on Friday in TrustPower’s latest report.

Economic Development Minister Steven Joyce has made it clear New Zealanders need to realise the importance of foreign investment and economic growth – making this known in the Bay of Plenty.

While New Zealand Oil & Gas has lifted its international exploration profile it is still gearing up to drill another offshore well in the Taranaki Basin.

NZ methanol production was up in 2011 compared to 2010 and an extra Methanex plant may see these figures multiply.

Simon Hartley looks at the dramatic improvement in the gold price and talks to analysts about what the crystal ball may hold for the balance of 2012.

December proved to be a good quarter for Australian petroleum company Horizon Oil which is deriving a healthy income from the Maari and Manaia fields in the offshore Taranaki.

L&M Energy will sharpen its quest for coal seam gas on its Kaitangata permit where late last year it drilled a series of encouraging wells.

Chatham Rock Phosphate is out to sea again – this time with another vessel to begin testing bulk sampling equipment for its seafloor phosphate deposits on the Chatham Rise.

The new chief executive of a Wellington-based oil and gas producer wants the Government to speed up the process of allocating permits, so as to encourage companies to retain a strong exploration focus on New Zealand.

The Cargill group has left the Spring Creek underground coal mine near Greymouth so it has returned to 100% ownership under Solid Energy which says it is now moving towards a strong development focus.

The American company that has provided geothermal power plant for the Kawerau geothermal field is to produce a thirteenth unit as part of a supply contract with Norske Skog Tasman of New Zealand.

Last year Kea Petroleum wasted little time in getting into drilling on onshore Taranaki permits and is gearing up to drill the first well for this year – a deeper probe.

The December quarter figures for Meridian show hydro generation was down marginally but wind generation was down significantly in the month of December compared with November.

Taking a Geothermal Energy Association statement literally if all the geothermal energy available could be harnessed then the world would not need any other forms of energy to service all the homes in the world.

Another company has gained a licence to look at harnessing marine phosphates from the Chatham Rise and it has the backing of the L&M Group.

There were no surprises in January production from the Kupe oil and gas field in the offshore Taranaki, with partner New Zealand Oil & Gas indicating lower NZ electricity demand in the country impacted the performance.

One of the larger operations on old river terraces in New Zealand is about to move two a two shifts a day operation now that full commissioning and ironing out of kinks have taken place.

Active explorer L&M Energy is sharpening up its conventional oil and gas exploration in the Taranaki but is undertaking an assessment after an under-performance from testing of coal seam gas at Ohai.

The striking of an agreement between Port Taranaki and Bathurst Resources will be good news for the small port of Westport near Bathurst’s coal mining operations as it ensures it will be a shipping out point for coal to then head overseas from New Plymouth in larger vessels.

Private company Crusader Coal is expected to have the Terrace colliery near Reefton back in action within the next few months – a mothballed mine it purchased from Solid Energy.

A sophisticated new drill rig for the oil and gas business is being set up utilising a power source provided by an engineering works in the Taranaki.

While the Victorian mining royalty specialist company Royalco Resources has been building up its inventory of projects its income is still dominated by the income from the Globe-Progress mine at Reefton.

The new face in gold exploration in New Zealand, Perth-based MOD Resources should soon be able to release assays from four of nine drill holes it is putting into the big Sams Creek deposit in the North West Nelson region.

The Solid Energy business Biodiesel New Zealand is looking to bumper crops of rapeseed on the South Island as fuel for its biodiesel product

The Wind Energy Association is up-market about the future growth of wind farms in New Zealand, following data released by the Ministry of Economic Development.

The Reserve Bank Governor Alan Bollard has decided not to seek a third term next September and the hunt will begin to find a successor.

Heritage Gold may be sprucing up the historic Talisman mine at Karangahake if a new scoping study reaching completion provides some smiles for the directors.

Rawson Resources and its regular partner in oil and gas exploration in New Zealand Zeanco seem set for a busy year on both the South and North islands.

It was satisfactory production in the December quarter at both the Kupe and Tui fields for New Zealand Oil and Gas, and the company expects to be getting a bonus from shareholder Pan Pacific Petroleum.

The oil and gas global giant BP has chosen a Wellington company to provide training and professional development software to sharpen its operations, badly dented by the big oil platform disaster in the Gulf of Mexico.

A week long hearing on submissions for and against a proposed $2 billion wind farm for Genesis Energy in the Wairarapa has concluded and a three-man commission will now deliberate on the project.

The stockbrokers to handle the partial sale of Mighty River Power – the first of a series of partial divestments by the Government – have been chosen.

A GNS Science paper published in a science journal gave a probability figure for another major earthquake in Canterbury after the first major event near Darfield.

The sobering news of New Zealand’s indebtedness was shown late last week by Finance Minister Bill English revealing the big hole caused by lower than projected tax revenue in recent months. So tighten your belts!

Two Government ministers and Sir Wira Gardiner will tour NZ for meetings with iwi to discuss parliamentary changes to allow partial sale of State Owned Entities to proceed but it has hit a false chord in Dunedin which was not included in the agenda of meetings.

The latest round of diamond drilling on the Massey target at Muirs Reef on the North Island has produced an encouraging first result for Glass Earth Gold.

The former chief executive of Pike River Coal Ltd, Peter Whittle, has set up a consultancy and says he will be contesting the charges laid against him in relation to the tragic mine accident in late 2010.

Anti resource development groups and agenda academics have been having a field day on global warming and the need for carbon taxes, the more recent agenda is to scare the public about the practice of fracking. A scientist who writes for Forbes magazine has debunked fracking scaremongering.

The December quarter report for Bathurst Resources details progress being made on several fronts, except at the Escarpment block, the revenue build and the lift in resources on the Denniston Plateau.

As coal production builds up for Bathurst Resources on the West Coast the company is moving towards supporting upgrades at the port of Westport which will carry a significant amount of its export coal.

Prime Minister John Key has been in Australia and while there told the Wall Street Journal that Asia will be showing a greater interest in New Zealand investment assets.

The Reserve Bank Governor believes that despite the dark clouds in Europe and the Christchurch earthquake issues the New Zealand economy has the capacity to weather these tough issues.

Editor Ross Louthean saw an Australian media article suggesting introducing strict new mine safety rules may deter sale of the Pike River mine. He comments on this line of thinking.

New Plymouth has seen the highs and lows of methanol production in the Taranaki and on top of the cobwebs being taken off one plant, the owner Methanex is showing a strong financial performance.

The latest Outlook report from the Ministry of Economic Development has some interesting projections through to 2030 and one is that NZ motorists will continue putting current conventional fuels into their cars.

With all the hot air being espoused on the petroleum exploration tool of fracking the Hawkes Bay Regional Council -- which could be see elevated exploration in its region – has decided to send one of its staff to Canada to view the fracking process.

An organisation set up in Northland 18 months ago has produced a blueprint and is offering a welcome mat for development of all forms of energy projects in the region.

Pan Pacific Petroleum was comfortable with the production from the Tui oil project in the offshore Taranaki Basin for the December quarter.

The bottom line for New Zealand Oil & Gas on its original investment in Pike River Coal Ltd appears to be a financial hit of $21 million.

Energy and power provider Contact Energy had some improved sales in the gas area of its market in December but generally, with the onset of summer there were some lower figures elsewhere.

The politically charged claims about dangers of using fracking in petroleum exploration has resounded with some rural conservative politicians in Australia but across the ditch it is the Labour Party which is wanting an enquiry into using this search technique.

Melbourne-based Royalco Resources has confirmed the date on which it will be paying a dividend for the December 2011 half year – a distribution to shareholders thanks to the royalty from an open cut gold mine at Reefton.

The pre-hearing of appeals against development of Bathurst Resources’ Escarpment coal project will be heard in Christchurch next month.

Vector had a significant lift on all fronts of its electricity and gas supply in the December half year and a dramatic lift in smart meter customers.