Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has asked for a "bit more time'' before announcing whether oil and gas exploration in New Zealand will end.
In a surprise appearance, Ms Ardern accepted a Greenpeace petition signed by more than 45,000 people at Parliament yesterday calling for an end to oil and gas exploration.
Energy and Resources Minister Megan Woods was to have accepted the petition on behalf of the Government.
But Ms Ardern arrived with Dr Woods and Climate Change Minister and Green Party co-leader James Shaw.
Ms Ardern told a crowd of about 40 people she was meant to be at a state lunch for Indonesian President Joko Widodo but it was important to stand in front of them and "do what governments should do and be held to account on the toughest decisions that we face as a nation but also as a world''.
She gave no clear indication of the Government's decision on an exploration ban.
"We know that this is something that we need to make a decision on and we do it in light of both environmental impacts but also something that we as a Government have talked about for some time now and that is the issue of just transitions.''
She said the things the Government had to weigh up was how to take the people with it in every sphere - socially, economically, in terms of their employment and their futures.
"I ask now for a bit more time.
"We're working hard on this issue and we know it's something that we can't afford to spend much time on, but we are actively considering it now.
"We are considering it with all of those issues in mind and with this Government's pledge that we will be carbon-neutral by 2050, that is not in question.''
Before the election, Ms Ardern said climate change was the "nuclear-free moment'' of her generation.
Greenpeace New Zealand climate campaigner Kate Simcock said the Prime Minister now had to turn those words into tangible action.
"The world can't afford to burn even existing fossil fuel reserves, let alone seek out new oil and gas, if we want to avoid catastrophic warming,'' Ms Simcock said.
"Searching for new oil or gas is senseless, and we're asking the Jacinda Ardern Government to put an end to it.''
Neither Dr Woods nor Mr Shaw would be drawn on what the future held for oil and gas exploration in New Zealand.
When asked whether the Government would end oil and gas permits, Dr Woods said: "We're doing that piece of work at the moment and we'll have more to say on that very soon.''
Mr Shaw said the decision was being worked through and it was an "incredibly complex issue and we are trying to weigh up a number of different things and that is why she is asking for time to do a good job of making that decision''.
Act New Zealand Leader David Seymour said in a statement that any ban on oil and gas exploration would put 11,000 jobs at risk and could harm the environment.
The oil and gas industry created thousands of jobs, contributed $2.5 billion to the New Zealand economy and $500 million to the Government in royalties each year, he said.
"Not only would a ban on exploration make us poorer as a country, it would drive production of oil and gas overseas which will harm the environment.''
