Coromandel Watchdog Plans Judicial Review proceedings

Coromandel Watchdog of Hauraki is getting legal advice as they scope filing a Judicial Review against the decision made by Ministers David Parker and Grant Robertson to approve land being used for a new tailings dump at Waihi. “ We are seriously pursuing this option and have informed the Minister and Oceana Gold via our…

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New Minerals Strategy Out – and it’s not good…

The new Government Minerals and Petroleum Strategy is ‘backward and disappointing’. It is a lost opportunity to shift the focus away from the conventional mining we currently allow – that compromises our environmnet – to the re use of minerals from electronic waste. We hoped the Government had moved away from the contradictory rhetoric of…

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Select Committee has failed the Coromandel

The Committee has,  nearly two years after receiving our petition, decided not to support the extension of Schedule 4 to include the Southern Coromandel. The extension would protect the entire Coromandel Range (and Coromandel Ecological Region) from industrial mining, where now that protection stops at State Highway 25 Kopu Hikuai Road.We are still reviewing the…

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How did this happen?

The mining industry, and their political stooges, are always shouting about ‘checks and balances’ to shut down our arguments. They claim that we are scaremongerers, making mischeif, stirring – a range of derogatory, dismissive things. They are quick to point out that there are a number of ‘tests’ in the Resource Management Act (RMA) that…

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Another Tailings Dam (Impoundment) at Waihi? No thanks!

We were very pleased and relieved to learn recently that Minister of Lands, Eugenie Sage, had declined an application by Oceana Gold to purchase more than 170 hectares of land to support its mysterious ‘Project Quattro’, and to house a new tailings facility. The Minister declined it under the Overseas Investment Act for a range…

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First Mining Application on the Coromandel since… ?

Last week, Oceana Gold, the multinational mining company that operates the two biggest gold mines in New Zealand, applied for a Mining Licence over more than 5000 hectares of mostly Conservation land in the Southern Coromandel. This is the first permit for many, many years – maybe even since the Waihi permits. It is also…

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It’s on!

Wow. What a week. From the Govt signalling that a review of the Crown Minerals Act will get underway soon, to Minister Sage declining Oceanas bid to buy a 178 hectare farm, to Oceana putting in a mining application at Wharekirauponga! It’s all on! It is way past time to review the Crown Minersals Act…

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