“When I bought the property I took particular care to check that the site was not being impacted, or likely to be impacted by the mining in Waihi. I chose this property because I wanted the best of both worlds in that I had easy access to town but also had the peace and quiet of a country setting to accommodate my outdoor lifestyle in a position where I could operate a home business to support myself and my family.” – Waihi East Resident, submission in opposition to Correnso
A very scary thing happened last week – the consent for the Correnso underground mine was granted in Waihi. Coromandel’s MP Scott Simpson and Minister for Energy and Resources Simon Bridges both have touted the project for it’s contribution to the prosperity of Waihi with no mention of the impacts it is having already on property values and the future impacts on residents’ quality of life.
People’s private assets are literally being undermined by Newmont and our government is supporting it.
The Correnso is a new underground mine that goes under a residential area in Eastern Waihi. This is the first time under an RMA process that a mine has been allowed under a residential area.
Watchdog believes this is a very dangerous precedent that has implications for any town that may be sitting on some minerals when market prices are high and is totally unacceptable.
See our media release here.
And here is another story that follows the process: http://werewolf.co.nz/2013/06/mining-below-the-floorboards/
