Regions seek help on mining venture alternatives
The West Coast and the Coromandel Peninsula are the two regions affected most by the Government’s prohibition on new mining in conservation areas.
Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage confirmed the Government will strengthen the protection for public conservation land by making it off-limits for new mining.
Forest & Bird is claiming ‘‘a huge victory for nature’’ that would protect the ecologically rich Denniston Plateau.
A joint venture by Bathurst Resources and Talleys has licences for some of the Denniston Plateau but the previous Government had planned to allow far more extensive mining over the area.
Grey District mayor Tony Kokshoorn said he and other mayors wanted to talk with the new Government about a $1 billion regional development package if coal and gold mining were to be reduced.
‘‘This new announcement will affect a huge amount of gold mining, which employs about 180 people in Grey District but more throughout the Coast. We’ve been undergoing a transition to more sustainable industries so we’d like to talk to the Government about those ventures.’’
Kokshoorn said one of the exploratory ventures likely to be affected was the Te Kuha project operated by Stevensons Mining 10 kilometres inland from Westport. Access to the proposed mine runs through conservation land.
The Denniston Plateau project involved the Bathurst-talleys joint venture buying licences formerly owned by Solid Energy.
Hague said the extent of the effect on operations part way through the resource consenting process was uncertain.
Forest & Bird had been campaigning to save the Denniston area for nearly a decade and it was now safe from mining.
‘‘Ecological experts have agreed that more mining on Denniston will likely drive some of the rare species that live there to extinction,’’ Hague said.
‘‘This also has big implications for conservation land in the Coromandel, where companies have been prospecting for gold.’’