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Environment

Myth: Opening land up for mining, for example, schedule 4 land, will result in rampant mining.

Reality: Nothing could be further from the truth.  Mother Nature – Papatuanuku - puts the minerals in very few places, and then economic ore bodies are very hard to find. On average, one in every 1000 prospects may be converted into a mine. It can take years from initial prospecting to get to the point of developing a mining proposal. That is done in two stages. The first is to consider how the ore would be extracted, and how the health & safety issues and environmental effects would be managed, if they can be managed, including assessments of all costs. If there is a solid business case, then come the regulatory processes, and consultation with communities and iwi, on the economic, social and environmental issues. A safeguard in respect of resource consent decisions, whichever way they fall, is that they can be appealed to a court.        

Myth: Mining damages and poisons the environment.

Reality: Mining today is subject to strict environmental laws, and mining companies aim to achieve a net positive impact on the environment. Examples of good environmental practice abound, including the Cypress extension to the Stockton mine (Solid Energy/Stockton Alliance), Macraes, East Otago and Globe Progress, near Reefton (OceanaGold Ltd), Martha mine and Favona underground mine (Newmont Waihi Gold), Hunua quarry (Winstone Aggregates), Waingaro quarry (Perry Resources).

Myth: The Tui mine near Te Aroha, and Golden Cross prove mining makes a mess.

Reality: Tui closed in 1973, when there was a dearth of environmental legislation in NZ. The company, Norpac Mining, left the gold, silver and base metal mine and tailings dam as was. The result was leaching of toxic chemicals into two local streams. With the passing in 1991 of the Resource Management Act and the Crown Minerals Act, the situation today is very different. Mining companies are granted consents, subject to conditions which may include substantial bonds. The 1994 closure of Golden Cross actually shows the system works. Gold and silver was left in the ground, and the company, Coeur d’Alene, arranged for the stabilisation of the tailing dam and post-closure rehabilitation, and ongoing monitoring, e.g. of water quality. Today, one would hardly know there had been an opencast mine at that site; the area has been rehabilitated into the farmland that existed previously, and the tailings dam is now a wetland ecosystem attracting native waterfowl.      

Myth: If permitted, mining will destroy NZ’s precious places.

Reality: No. Mining occupies little space on a national or regional scale, because Mother Nature puts the minerals in very few places and they then have to be found. Mines occupy 0.016% of NZ’s land area, many of which are quarries, most of which produce gravel for roads and construction. We have 5 operating oil & gas rigs offshore. Of the 7068 ha that were to have been made available in the schedule 4 review in 2010, one mine might have resulted. Pests do far more damage to biodiversity than mines – as the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment has pointed out – and mining companies often pay for pest control as part of their environmental conditions.   

Myth: The Stockton mine presents many environmental issues.

Reality: It has to be remembered that Stockton has been subject to coal mining since 1885. It is fair to say that during most of that time development was haphazard and the environmental record of mining was questionable. It is also fair to say that today the company’s environmental management is exemplary. Around 70,000 native seedlings are planted at Stockton every year as part of site rehabilitation, and a new water treatment plant and water management system are ensuring high water quality. Despite initial estimates of an endangered species of giant landsnail numbering 500 individuals, around 6000 were found, giving rise to a multi-million dollar snail conservation programme. As well, Solid Energy is carrying out blue duck and kiwi conservation, and pest control in native forest, over a much larger footprint than that of the mine. The Cypress extension is being mined using direct vegetation transfer, a proven method, in which chunks of native ecosystem are removed with the soil profile intact, stored during mining, and returned to site after mining is completed.

Myth: Seismic surveys as part of petroleum prospecting disturb or may even lead to the death of marine mammals.

Reality: The issue of acoustic disturbance, including from ships and whale-watching tourism boats, is subject to continuing research. There are guidelines around the use of seismic surveys to minimise potential risk to marine mammals.

Myth: Seismic surveys have been killing penguins.

Reality: The Department of Conservation has determined that the dead penguins washing up on shore on East Coast beaches in 2011 have succumbed from lack of food. The cause is the La Niña summer, and associated changes in sea temperatures, which have forced penguins to travel further and, ultimately, less successfully in search of food.