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The government is putting $40.5 million towards two gas exploration projects, from the government's $200m gas exploration fund.
The funding includes $14.5m to contract Schlumberger New Zealand to provide companies with free access to AI-backed 3d seismic modelling data for the Taranaki, East Coast, and Great South basins over two years; and $21.5m for EnZed Energy's Kaheru project exploring for recoverable gas offshore from Taranaki.
The Great South basin is off the coast of Otago.
Resources Minister Shane Jones said the projects would help secure New Zealand's ongoing energy needs.
He said the Schlumberger project would make it easier to access and interpret basin-scale data in an industry-standard format which would be "very attractive to international exploration companies deciding where to put their money and effort".
The datasets would be available for free to potential explorers for two years.
He said the EnZed project was aiming to find 182 petajouls of gas, the equivalent of nearly a quarter of New Zealand's current "proven and probable" reserves.
"New Zealanders need access to a reliable energy supply when renewables are unable to meet demand."
Jones also welcomed the release of the 2025 Petroleum Exploration Data Pack by New Zealand Petroleum & Minerals, saying making such data available was one of the most effective ways to showcase resource potential and encourage new investment.
He said 74 additional wells and 31 3d seismic surveys had been added to the data since the last data pack was released in 2018.
In December, the Supreme Court ruled that climate change must be considered when the government is offering permits by tender for extracting fossil fuels, and in each case the government must weigh up climate impacts - including on Māori as part of its Treaty of Waitangi responsibilities - and determine whether extraction would truly be for the benefit of New Zealand.
