Eugenie Sage is angry at a law which bypasses her tick of approval, on major conservation issues.

Sage has blamed a gap in the Crown Minerals Act for a permit being given the go ahead to allow drilling in a Taranaki marine sanctuary.

The permit was granted by the mineral and petroleum section of MBIE which is responsible to Megan Woods as the Energy Minister.

She told Larry Williams they are now working to changes to the law.

" If these permits can be granted without any consultation from the Department of Conservation then there are gaps in the law."

LISTEN ABOVE AS EUGENIE SAGE SPEAKS TO LARRY WILLIAMS