Source: Radio New Zealand
Protesters occupy the drilling site in Sams Creek, in the Upper Tākaka Valley. Supplied / Timothy Firkin
Golden Bay locals are continuing to campaign against a proposed gold mine, fearing it will harm the region’s famed Te Waikoropupū Springs.
Australian mining company Siren Gold hopes to extract billions of dollars worth of gold at Sams Creek in the Upper Tākaka Valley. Exploration drilling which began in 2022, is continuing while the application for a mining permit is assessed.
Environmental advocate Timothy Firkin said two activists locked themselves to the main drilling rig at Sams Creek for about 12 hours during the weekend.
They were joined by other Golden Bay residents who remained concerned about the potential impact of the mine on the environment and the lack of engagement with the community, Firkin said.
“We feel there’s no social licence and that Siren Gold is pushing ahead without any genuine community consent,” he said.
“These are the clearest waters in the Southern Hemisphere, some of the clearest water ever measured on earth and the headwaters of the Tākaka Valley feed the Arthur Marble Aquifer that runs into Te Waikoropupū Springs and, beyond that, that water services everyone in the community.”
Protesters occupy the drilling site in Sams Creek, in the Upper Tākaka Valley. Supplied / Timothy Firkin
The group were concerned about the suitability of the site for a mine given the combination of high rainfall and seismic risk, Firkin said.
They were also worried about the management of toxic waste, arsenic-laden rock and the likely use of cyanide for extraction, he said.
The actions of activists at the weekend were a bid to disrupt the exploration drilling and came after two years of campaiging against the proposed mine, he said.
“We’ve invited them to community talks, we’ve asked for direct engagement. They’ve answered none of our questions and said that they would wait until after the mining licence was granted to engage with community,” Firkin said.
“We feel that area of the Kahurangi National Park was cut out solely for prospecting and we feel that place alone is worth protecting. Sam’s Creek is one of the most beautiful waterways I have ever set foot on and that whole area around there … I would be so heartbroken if there was a giant open cast mine in the entranceway to the Kahurangi National Park.”
The group wanted to engage with Siren Gold and voice their concerns but did not hold out much hope, he said.
Community group mounts legal challenge
Environmental advocacy group Save Our Springs last year applied for judicial review of government decisions linked to the controversial proposal.
The application was filed against Siren Gold and its subsidiary Sams Creek Gold along with Resources Minister Shane Jones and Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment chief executive Nic Blakeley.
It sought declarations the exploration permit expired in March 2021 and the mining permit application should not have been accepted because it was lodged after the exploration permit’s expiry or because it did not include required information under the Crown Minerals Regulations 2007.
Protesters occupy the drilling site in Sams Creek, in the Upper Tākaka Valley. Supplied / Timothy Firkin
Siren Gold chief executive Zane Padman said the company had filed a statement of defence and a hearing date had been set for September.
The occupation over the weekend had a negligible impact on its exploration work, he said.
“I am more concerned for the safety of all involved. Entering work sites, climbing unharnessed on operating equipment and on buildings and flying drones where helicopters are operating is simply dangerous,” Padman said.
“The irony here is that the solutions to the concerns these members of the community hold are best informed by the results of the drilling.”
The company was willing to engage with people who were reasonable in their behaviour and were prepared to work with Siren Gold to identify responses to issues they hold, he said.
Exploration drilling was ongoing at the site as the company awaited the result of its mining permit application, he said.
“The mining permit is simply a procedural step that provides the holder with exclusivity to extract a specific resource from a specific location but does not give authority to activate mining,” he said.
“Any mine development is years away and any activity is required to undertake RMA consent processes for permissible activities, land owner approval, safety procedures and environmental standards to be met and community engagement including with iwi.”
Siren Gold said, in a recent update to the Australian Securities Exchange, it was part way through drilling 20 holes as part of its exploration work.
Its current estimate was that more than 800,000 ounces of gold could be mined at Sams Creek with a yield of about 2.8 grams of gold per tonne.
Drilling was expected to be completed by April with an updated mineral resource estimate to be completed after that.
MBIE minerals and offshore renewable energy national manager petroleum John Buick-Constable said the Sams Creek Gold mining permit application was still being assessed.
“There are no statutory timeframes for assessing or deciding a permit application. Each permit application brings its own complexities and there also may be times when more information is required to progress an application,” he said.
The average targeted timeframe for processing a tier one minerals mining permit was 240 working days.
The company’s existing exploration permit remained in force while its mining permit was being assessed, Buick-Constable said.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
