Lobby group Sustainable Tarras put a post on social media showing a speech Mr Jones made in Parliament in 2010.
At the time, Mr Jones was a Labour Party list MP and a National-led minority government was in power.
In a speech discussing mining, he said National had a policy of quarrying the nation.
"It was an exercise in destroying New Zealand’s clean green image, destroying conservation values, in order for a step-up exercise to catch Australia," he said.
At the time, he said the government was losing interest in creating jobs, thinking by digging up earth they were going to create sustainable wealth.
But it would only benefit foreign-owned companies, the jobs would be scarce and the degradation would be long term, he said.
Mr Jones is now singing from a different song sheet, a member of NZ First and the Minister for Oceans and Fisheries, Minister for Regional Development, Minister for Resources, Associate Minister of Finance and Associate Minister for Energy in the coalition government.
He has become a champion of mining and this week strongly criticised the Green Party idea to revoke permits for certain types of mining operations.
He said, when contacted yesterday, the Tarras group had found a speech from "my frothing youth".
"But the fact is we are in whole different set of circumstances now than we were then. We are in a dire situation and have to look at everything," Mr Jones said.
"We have new rules. We have made major advances in technology. We are a long, long, long way away from where we were in 2010."
He said some of these lobby groups had been quite loud but they needed to realise the situation the country and the regions was in.
"I am sure they own their homes in the region. They may own investments there but they do not own the wilderness. They do not own the environment.
"The resources are owned by the community. That is why we have a statutory process set up to make decisions around these issues."
Sustainable Tarras had been against the Santana Minerals proposal to set up a gold-mining operation in the area. The proposal was part of the fast-track process.
He said the group running the video from 2010 was just part of being a professional politician.
"You have to cop it. I have learnt that if you want to dish it out then you have to be prepared to take it."
He was also critical of Sir Sam, who said the Santana proposal was "toxic".
"I understand Sam Neill has been giving his thoughts about the landscape up there. But he does not own it.
"He is someone who goes overseas for long periods and comes back and because of what he does and who he is has some sort of privilege in saying what he thinks, arrogating his anti-mining views."
