Law Students Take Oil Case to Supreme Court, Still Think Laws Care About Feelings

In a plot twist no one saw coming—except maybe the scriptwriters of Lord of the Rings—a band of plucky law students from Victoria University are saddling up their legal ponies for one last ride. Their quest? To convince the Supreme Court that oil exploration in Taranaki should bow to the twin gods of climate change and good vibes. Armed with nothing but a few textbooks, a dream, and a losing streak that’d make the Black Caps blush, Students for Climate Solutions are charging into May 2025 with all the optimism of a Hobbit facing Mount Doom.

It all kicked off back in 2021, when these fresh-faced legal eagles decided the Minister for Energy and Resources was a bit too cozy with oil permits. “Not on our watch,” they cried, filing a judicial review faster than you can say “Crown Minerals Act 1991.” The High Court, in a twist as shocking as a sunny day in Wellington, said no. Undeterred, they galloped to the Court of Appeal, where the judges—presumably sipping tea from mugs labeled “Mining Is Life”—said no again. Two courts, two losses, and yet here we are: the Supreme Court looms like the final boss in a game they’ve already lost twice.

The students, led by now-graduate Lauren Craig, call it “surreal” to reach the top court. Surreal’s one word for it—another might be “delusional,” but who are we to quibble? They’re arguing the minister didn’t think hard enough about climate change or Māori feelings when handing out permits to drill Taranaki like it’s a giant pinata full of petrol. Fair enough, you might say, except the Crown Minerals Act—born in the flannel-clad ‘90s—seems to think mining’s the whole point. “Promote exploration,” it whispers seductively, leaving climate change to fend for itself in the footnotes.

Meanwhile, the government’s busy polishing its green halo. A climate emergency in 2020, an offshore oil ban in 2018—bold moves! But onshore? That’s where the real action is, apparently, with permits handed out like lollies at a parade. The students, bless their cotton socks, reckon the Supreme Court might see things differently. Maybe the justices will ditch the rulebook, hold hands, and sing “Kumbaya” while rewriting laws to match the zeitgeist. Or maybe they’ll just nod politely and point to the exit, like the last two courts did.

It’s a noble fight, no doubt—David versus Goliath, if David’s slingshot was a recycled hemp backpack and Goliath was a 33-year-old statute with oil stains on its tie. The students trudge on, fueled by passion and probably a few too many oat milk lattes, while the rest of us watch from the sidelines, popcorn in hand. Will their third swing at the windmill finally topple the beast? Or will reality, that pesky old buzzkill, remind them that laws don’t bend for feelings—not even the really earnest ones? Tune in next May to find out. Spoiler: the Act’s still got a mean right hook.