Source: Radio New Zealand
Santana Minerals chief executive Damian Spring. Supplied
The Department of Conservation has warned a proposed gold mine near Cromwell is an unprecedented threat to wildlife, while Heritage New Zealand fears it will modify or destroy most of the area’s recorded archaeological sites.
More than half the 53 invited parties who commented on the Bendigo-Ophir project explicitly opposed it, including environmentalists, locals and mana whenua.
The plans also had strong support in some quarters, including nearby landowners and a group of local residents.
Australian company Santana Minerals applied in November for consent to build four open-cast mine pits, which fast-track panel members are expected to approve or decline in October.
The company said the mine could employ hundreds of people and be worth $6 billion in export revenue and more than $1 billion in taxes and royalties for New Zealand.
The application reflected years of detailed technical and environmental work, it said.
However, in comments made public this week, the Department of Conservation (DOC) estimated as many as 600,000 native lizards could be killed as a result of the project.
The Otago Conservation Board warned the tailings storage facility could attract wetland birds to surface water high in toxic cyanide.
Both recommended the fast-track expert panel should decline consent.
Fish & Game Otago was also opposed and cautioned there was a lack of evidence showing trout and game birds would be protected from contaminants.
Environmental Defence Society chief executive Gary Taylor said his group’s independent ecologists had reached similar conclusions about the environmental effects.
Environmental Defence Society chief executive Gary Taylor. Supplied
“We’re not opposed to mining, per se, but this mine is the wrong mine in the wrong place and the environmental impacts of it are just completely over the top,” Taylor said.
“What the applicant is facing … is a bit of a reality check that there’s now a tsunami of expert evidence contesting its application and we think that, in aggregate, meets the test for the panel to decline the application.”
Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment Simon Upton described New Zealand as an immature mining destination, lacking the technical expertise or stringent standards found in jurisdictions like Canada or Australia.
Unless the panel could independently verify risks would be mitigated “as far as reasonably practical for at least a century after closure” then the application should be declined, he said.
Santana Minerals was due to respond to comments by Friday.
Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment Simon Upton. Supplied.
Case for economic diversification
Support for the mine came from the New Zealand Minerals Council, Shine Irrigation Company, two neighbouring landowners and the Santana Mine Supporters community group.
The supporter group’s head and Cromwell local Bill Sanders said there was a substantial and informed group of locals backing the project.
His group had grown to 8600 members and many saw the mine as a chance for economic diversification, he said.
“In Central [Otago] at the moment the cherry orchards and the vineyards, they’re not having a very good time of it. So here’s an opportunity for people to get a decent job in the mine and let’s not forget that the mine won’t be the only thing. There’ll be downstream industries where people will be able to work and earn good money in those as well,” Sanders said.
He was confident the mine would be monitored closely and would only be approved if it was up to standard.
“Modern day mining is a lot cleaner than what it used to be and the people that are running this aren’t cowboys. These people are very experienced,” Sanders said.
Sustainable Tarras, another community group, was opposed and said the project’s adverse impacts were overwhelming.
More than 9000 people had signed their opt-in email list to confirm their opposition to the project, the group said.
Sustainable Tarras chair Suze Keith said its primary concern was contamination of surface and groundwater.
“It’s very easy to find examples where water downstream of mine sites has become contaminated and, once an aquifer is contaminated, it’s very difficult to reverse that,” she said.
“From the get-go we’ve said that this project isn’t well suited to fast-tracking … the gold’s not going anywhere. It would have been far preferable for Santana to go through the standard Resource Management Act process.”
A visual simulation released by Santana Minerals showing what the mine would look like from Ardgour Road, Tarras. Supplied
Mana whenua, heritage opposition
Kuma Southern Māori Business Network told the panel there had been insufficient recognition of wāhi tapu (sacred sites) and mining risked disturbing kōiwi (human remains) through large-scale excavation.
Kā Rūnaka argued granting consent would be unlawful as it was inconsistent with the Ngāi Tahu Treaty Settlement and the mine could cause intergenerational harm.
Some neighbouring landowners also expressed opposition to the project, claiming house prices in the area had already “dropped dramatically”.
One family said their homestead and farming infrastructure were in a “red zone” where a tailings dam failure could lead to one to three metres of toxic inundation, while another said their quiet rural gravel road had already become a dust bowl with Santana traffic.
Heritage New Zealand said Santana Minerals had understated the existing heritage values of the project area and underestimated the adverse effects of the project.
“The proposed works will have an overall major impact on the heritage and archaeological values of the project area seeing an almost total loss of heritage values within the footprint of the mining operation,” it said.
Councils and ministers weigh in
The Otago Regional Council (ORC) and Central Otago District Council (CODC) did not take a stance supporting or opposing the mine but raised concerns about its environmental risks.
The ORC said its geotechnical consultants found the proposed tailings storage facility did not currently meet stability standards, while the CODC noted that the project’s proposed noise and vibration activities would need additional land-use consents.
Six ministers gave feedback on the project with only Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka explicitly stating he supported the application.
Infrastructure Minister Chris Bishop expressed “broad support for projects which deliver positive outcomes for New Zealand, including the Bendigo-Ophir Gold Project” and South Island Minister James Meager highlighted the project’s “substantial economic benefits” for the region.
Regional Development and Resources Minister Shane Jones said the project aligned with the Minerals Strategy for New Zealand which aimed to double mineral export revenue by 2040.
Infrastructure Minister Chris Bishop (L) and Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka (R). Anneke Smith
Santana responds
Santana Minerals chief executive Damian Spring said, in a statement, the company would respond to the feedback through its submission to the panel.
“The project is backed by a substantial body of technical work developed over several years by independent experts and that material is now being examined through the process. It’s not appropriate to address individual points in isolation – the legal framework is designed to assess all questions against the full evidence base,” he said.
“Our focus is on engaging directly through the process and providing comprehensive responses to the panel.”
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
