Today Greenpeace has been advised that the charges laid against the organisation for action last April to stop the Amazon Warrior seismic blasting for oil at sea are to be dropped.

Greenpeace is calling on the new Government to stand alongside New Zealand’s Pacific neighbours during the COP23 climate change summit, which kicked off last night.

An oil exploration ship at the centre of a storm of controversy for its seismic blasting agenda earlier this year in New Zealand is on its way back.

Friday, November 24: Greenpeace are criticising a reported statement by the new Minister of Energy, Megan Woods, that the decision about whether to issue a permit for oil exploration is merely an “operational matter”.

A legal challenge against the world’s largest seismic oil exploration ship will be launched at a public rally today on Parliament Lawn.

Greenpeace says the Government’s announcement on the formalisation of a Climate Commission is a positive step, but expanding the fossil fuel industry by issuing new fossil fuel permits would undermine the Commission before it even gets started.

The country’s largest environmental organisations have sent an open letter to the Government this morning, calling for an end to new fossil fuel expansion.