Gold rush prospect history
The glitter of gold had little allure for most of Canvastown, and it seems any prospect of a second gold rush is dead in the water.
US company Elect Mining had its resource consent to mine in the Marlborough settlement knocked back last month, and the 15-day appeal period has passed.
Elect Mining, which already mines on the West Coast, wanted a 10-year consent to mine a 46-hectare property on farmland alongside State Highway 6, close to the Trout Hotel and residents’ homes.
It wanted to mine for just five years, with a potential payout of $120 million, and the company’s lawyer Mike Hardy-Jones offered numerous mitigation measures at the consent hearing.
But residents and local iwi Nga¯ti Kuia were not convinced.
Submissions against the plan also came from Friends of Pelorus Estuary which shared concerns with other submitters about threats to water quality and sediment from the mining site. The Ministry of Education opposed the plan, saying it did not want a gold mine 300 metres from Canvastown School.
Nga¯ti Kuia’s marae, Te Hora, was near the proposed gold mine. General manager David Johnston said no iwi in the country would allow it to happen.
Sediment control and the ‘‘permanent stockpile’’ of tailings left behind proved crucial factors against the mine.
Once the consent was turned down, the historic little settlement, named after the canvas tents of the 1864 goldrush, waited with bated breath through the appeal period.
Resident Carleen Shallcrass said people in favour of the mine had not done their homework and believed the claims it would provide a lot of employment for the town.
‘‘That’s where the conflict came in,’’ she said. ‘‘The small-town scenario kicked in and it was very much an ‘us against them’ thing.’’
Shallcrass said research showed the impact was significantly different to the ‘‘little hole in the ground’’ mine supporters had bought into.
Shallcrass and others submitters were told by the Environment Court on October 12 no appeal had been made by Elect Mining against the decision to reject the consent application.
She said the company had ‘‘completely underestimated’’ the community response and would have to start again if it wanted to persist.
She hoped ‘‘all the drama’’ was now over for the town and its people.
Trout Hotel publican Ray Cresswell said the application had caused friction but people who opposed the mine seemed ‘‘reasonably happy with the situation’’ and the absence of an appeal.
‘‘There are rumours something may be going to the High Court, but I’m not sure how that works,’’ he said.
Resource consent legal expert Heather Ash, of Simpson and Grierson, said there were few options for the mining company once the appeal period had passed.
‘‘In due course they could make another, new application if they wanted to,’’ Ash said. ‘‘But there aren’t any other appeal rights that I am aware of.’’
The bulk of Elect Mining’s shares were held by American interests, with the local face of the company largely resting with minor shareholder and former Hairy Mussel company owner Tim Madden, of Havelock.
Madden was unavailable for comment.