The Green Party says it expects the Government to backtrack on its proposal for mining some of the most protected parts of the Conservation estate.
On Wednesday the Greens were to present to Parliament an anti-mining petition signed by more than 47,000 people.
Party co-leader Metiria Turei says the public has been very clear that it does not want any mining on protected schedule 4 land, and the Government, she says, "has listened".
"They've already backtracked on a number of their proposals," Ms Turei says. "I expect that they will do so again in some form."
She says that there are more jobs in protecting conservation land than there are in the mining industry, and that therefore the Government has lost the economic argument for mining.
