Gisborne District Council has received a resource consent application from Eastern Petroleum (NZ) Limited to complete a stratigraphic test well approximately 1.3 kilometres off Christopher Road, Whangara. The well is to be known as Tangamatai stratigraphic 1.

Eastern Petroleum (NZ) Limited is a wholly owned subsidiary of Trans-Orient Petroleum Ltd which is 100% owned by TAG Oil Ltd. TAG Oil Ltd and Apache Corporation NZ Ltd have jointly obtained resource consents for a well pad in the Kanakanaia area north east of Te Karaka.

The stratigraphic well is for the purpose of obtaining further geological information about Petroleum Exploration permit PEP 50945.

The proposed well will be up to 400 metres deep. It is to be drilled to investigate and date the rocks beneath the drill site. There will be no production of hydrocarbons from this well and no hydraulic stimulation (hydraulic fracturing or ‘fraccing’) will be done.

The application for consent and assessment of environmental effects is available on Council’s website http://www.gdc.govt.nz/eastern-petroleum-nz-ltd-resource-consent-application/

The work is expected to last two to three weeks. When the data has been collected, the well will be abandoned. The core will be fully cemented and will not be able to be used for any further exploration activity. The drill site will be reinstated to pasture following completion of the well.

The application will be processed in accordance the Resource Management Act and relevant Council Plans. Similar applications in the past have not been publicly notified.