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An Australian firm incorporated weeks before New Zealand's offshore oil and gas ban ended will have its application for an exploration permit considered uncontested.
EnZed Energy is the first company to apply for a petroleum exploration permit since the 2018 ban, which was overturned by the government last year.
It applied for a block off the coast of Taranaki last October, triggering a three-month competitive process where other companies could also apply to explore in the same area.
However, the competitive window closed at 5pm on Friday with no other applicants published on the Ministry for Business Innovation and Employment's (MBIE) website.
Despite the lack of competitors, the permit is not guaranteed.
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