Residents dig deep to oppose mining plan
High Court the only option left to stop mining, reports Belinda Feek.
Karangahake resident Mark Beach has always liked his neighbours.
But he’s got a new one that nobody wants, New Talisman Gold Mines, who was last month given the green light to begin mining around 600 tonnes of ore a month.
The mining company has received consent from not only the Department of Conservation but also the Hauraki District Council, to the aggravation of local residents.
About 200 residents – from as far north as Coromandel and all around the greater Hauraki region – descended on a public protest against mining in the Karangahake Gorge yesterday.
Mark Beach told the Waikato Times the protest was about raising public awareness of the dangerous territory the council had now entered.
‘‘We don’t want mining in the Karangahake and also we’re quite disappointed that there was no consultation [from council] for the residents.’’
Beach said the council’s non-notified consent was lawful but was a pretty low blow considering the way local residents felt about mining.
His property was on Crown Hill Bridge Rd and is the last that the mining trucks have to drive past before entering the mined area.
‘‘I don’t want any mining trucks going past my property and neither do my neighbours . . . speaking with other neighbours, they were left in the lurch also and had no consultation.’’
In his short speech to protesters, Beach said the council told him the only way to get its decision reversed was to go to the high court.
Coromandel Watchdog spokesperson Ruby Powell was impressed with the turnout which showed how valuable the mountain is to many people. ‘‘The value lies in the recreational opportunity it provides. This is conservation land and New Zealanders want it to be protected for future generations.’’
Thames resident Mike O’Donnell said he attended the protest because he wanted the land and water protected. He said the mining companies only took from the area and gave nothing back; a lot of the jobs went to foreigners who left once their job was done and was there was no investment back in the district. ‘‘The profits are not for our community,
People came armed with signs to show their opposition to the mining plan. they’re for overseas [companies]. They say there’s a whole lot of employment but they bring people in and the area suffers. Those who do become dependent on [the area] for a financial income are left without. How do they really contribute to our environment?’’
Coromandel Green MP Catherine Delahunty said the council and the Department of Conservation had disappointed the public. She said the decision to grant consent meant changing the face of the landscape.
Kewana Duncan, 35, from local iwi Ngati Tara Tokanui whose marae is based just 2km down the road from the site, said the area was considered special, and had waahi tapu and pa sites that had already been subjected to mining in the past. There’s another public meeting tomorrow at the Paeroa War Memorial Hall at 6pm.