The third annual round of oil and gas exploration licences has attracted two new international players: US giant Chevron, which operates the Caltex brand in New Zealand, and Indian government-controlled ONGC Videsh, the first time an Indian oil and gas company has taken an interest in New Zealand exploration. Claimed by Energy and Resources Minister Simon Bridges to be the most successful round of block offers since the new system for awarding oil and gas exploration territory was instituted in 2012, the round sees 15 new exploration licences, nine offshore and six onshore.