In the late 1800s, the Taranaki Provincial Government of New Zealand's North Island sent out a call for drillers, offering a ￡400 bounty for "the discovery of a spring of petroleum sufficiently copious to be profitably worked" Flash forward and you find New Zealand still making a fervent pitch for rigs to come on down. Though not specifically handing out checks, the government is offering attractive royalty rates, largely unexplored offshore and onshore prospects, and a permitting bureaucracy that is more than eager to keep the welcome mat open. New Zealand also proffers carrots that, according to The Wall Street Journal, are increasingly more alluring to international operators nowadays: Political stability and security.
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