Mining threat a concern
Concerned Whangaroa hapū members and Forest & Bird representatives gathered at two locations in Northland to speak out against the threat of mining in the area.
People protested on public conservation land among the last 1% of unlogged ancient kauri forest at Manginangina Scenic Reserve in Puketī Forest.
This area is included in a prospecting permit for lithium and rare earth elements that the Government granted late last year to Mineralogy International Ltd, owned by Australian mining billionaire Clive Palmer.
The Whakarara Conservation Area behind Te Ngaere Bay and above the water source of local hapū is included within a different prospecting licence held by the same company.
‘‘Mining affects the whenua, taonga and wai,’’ says Bianca Ranson, of Ngāti Kahu ki Whangaroa.
‘‘Allowing mining on incredibly important conservation land like on Whakarara maunga could destroy native forests and lead to pollution of waterways out to Whangaroa Harbour and the sea. We dodged a bullet being missed by the worst of Cyclone Gabrielle, but in a world where extreme weather events are getting more common and more severe, we would not want toxic waste from mining in an area famous for flooding that’s close to the coast.’’
She said Whangaroa has seen an ‘‘intergenerational fight’’ to keep mining companies away.
‘‘Our people have told the Government again and again that we don’t want mining here, but they continue to allow more prospecting and exploration. Conservation Minister Willow-Jean Prime has the opportunity to support us as hapū of Te Tai Tokerau and protect our whenua from the mining interests of an Australian billionaire.
‘‘The prospecting permits cover a combination of private land, Māori land, and public conservation land that is under Treaty claim. The Government is making another mess before cleaning up the first one.’’
Robyn Tauroa, of the Whangaroa Papa hapū , says: ‘‘In this area we have underground streams all through our mountains and whenua that we don’t want polluted by mining companies. We have been standing firm to protect the wai of Whangaroa from mining pollution for at least 30 years, and that won’t be stopping any time soon.’’
Forest & Bird has been calling on the Government to fulfill its 2017 promise of no new mines on conservation land, helping the public write to MPs in support of a bill to end new mines on conservation land and holding protest banner events around Aotearoa.
More than 150,000 hectares of exploration and prospecting permits have been signed off covering conservation land and at least 78 mining access arrangements on conservation land have been granted since 2017.
‘‘We need the Government to hurry up and fulfil their promise to end new mines on conservation land before the election,’’ says Forest & Bird Northland conservation manager Dean Baigent-Mercer.
‘‘Local communities should not have to continually fight decade after decade to prevent mining companies attempts to destroy ancient forests, wetlands and rivers that they thought were already protected.’’
The banner held in the protests was a replica of the banner that was at the front of the 2010 March Against Mining that more than 40,000 people took part in down Queen St in Auckland.