We will fight this application by Oceana Gold to mine under public conservation forests near Whangamatā in the Courts.
Oceana Gold issued a statement at the start of July that they have lodged resource consent applications to mine at Wharekirauponga with both the District and Regional councils (Hauraki and Waikato, respectively). Public submissions will be called for once the Councils have assessed the applications.
“We are determined to stop these mining applications on behalf of everyone who loves the forest including all the life forms who deserve better “ says Coromandel Watchdog of Hauraki Chairperson, Catherine Delahunty.
“Oceana Gold today announced they have lodged consent applications to mine under the Wharekirauponga forest behind Whangamata.
This application is a huge risk to the environment and a waste of resources which the Government should have stopped when they announced a ban on new mining activity on conservation lands in 2017.
Instead we are preparing to fight a huge multinational company who bring no benefit to this country and will leave a toxic legacy for future generations. They are proposing to mine under the habitat of the 200 million year old Archeys frog, blasting beneath the habitat, exposing underground waterways to toxic heavy metals. “
“There are so many risks with this proposed project and so many reasons why it should never have progressed to this point: Oceana have a long-term plan to mine with robots not people so forget about sustainable jobs. They have a plan to backfill the underground caverns with toxic tailings mixed with million tonnes of concrete. The water table beneath the forest will be at risk and will be significantly dewatered, the huge rock stacks leaching heavy metals at Waihi will create dust and there are huge pollution risks associated with these and the effects of long term vibration under this regionally significant forest are unknown.
Tunnelling with fossil fuels and concrete production which also produces greenhouse gases is the last thing we need. We need to be looking after forests not draining their waters and industrialising recreational areas.
Oceana Gold are attempting to sweet talk DOC to co-operate with them via promises of pest control funding once they have the access to the gold which will be extracted at great cost and then in left in banks overseas benefiting no one.
Our organisation and our allies and supporters will be the voice for future generations in a fight that could set a precedent for other part of the Hauraki/Coromandel.
If they can mine under this sensitive habitat they can mine anywhere and only public support can pressure the Government to honour the no mining promise before it’s too late for Wharekirauponga.
The RMA relies on expert testimony, so we are entering an uneven playing field and we are asking everyone who loves these forests to support our efforts to protect Wharekirauponga. If we had more resources we would also be fighting the whole Waihi North project which includes new open cast mine and underground mines at Waihi,” Ms Delahunty said.
