A 160-hectare open-cast mine is proposed by Australian mining company Bathurst Resources, for the ecologically significant, Denniston Plateau, on New Zealand’s wild West Coast.
The Denniston plateau has a unique ecosystem that includes habitat for Great Spotted Kiwi, West Coast Green Gecko, Kaka, Giant Land Snails, bonsai Southern Rata, and miniature freshwater crayfish. The only other place like it in the world is the nearby Stockton plateau, that has already been devastated by open-cast mining.
The National Government has now broken its promise to include public feedback on proposals to mine on the country’s precious Schedule 4 Conservation land.
Protests Won Promise of Public Input
After the May 2010 “No MIning” protests that saw 50,000 people march up Queen Street to stop mining on conservation land, the Government reversed its decision to allow mining in National Parks.
It promised then, that the public would get the right to comment on access agreements for all future significant mine proposals on public land, including conservation land.
The Government reneged on that promise as soon as it was re-elected to Parliament in November this year.
Breach of Faith After Election
In a letter sent on the first working day after the election, the Conservation Minister Kate Wilkinson told Forest and Bird general manager Mike Britton, that in relation to the Denniston application, ‘access for mining on conservation land was considered under the Crown Minerals Act, which did not provide for public consultation’. Therefore, public consultation would "not be appropriate".
This was described as a huge breach of faith for people who wanted a say on that application, by Forest and Bird conservation advocate Nicola Vallance. It was very clearly a broken promise, she said.
The Government claimed it was ‘moving forward’ on its July 2010 promise as part of a Crown Minerals Act review, that included working out what constituted a significant mining application. The Government did not say when the review would be completed, but expected significant progress to be made early next year.
Government Back-tracks on Notification
"The public need to have input on whether the precious Denniston Plateau can be mined," said West Coast-based Green MP, Kevin Hague. "I'm growing increasingly concerned the Government is backtracking on their promise to New Zealand that 'significant applications to mine on public land should be publicly notified',” he said.
Kevin Hague asked the Conservation Minister specifically in the House in September whether she would publicly notify any access agreement required to mine the Denniston Plateau. The Minister dodged the question by answering that the concession application (for an associated coal processing plant) would be publicly notified — something that is legally required anyway.
"To date, the Minister of Conservation has dodged her responsibility to be a strong advocate for the public's interest in protecting the conservation estate," said Mr Hague.
No Place for Mining
Large Australian mining companies had no long-term interest in New Zealand’s environment nor its economy and should not be given privileged treatment by this National Government to keep their mining plans out of the public eye, he said.
"Mining dirty coal in our most precious conservation areas has no place in a clean green economy that works for everyone," said Mr Hague.
A group of New Zealand’s major environmental organisations is asking the government to keep its promise on public consultation, and to give New Zealanders a say about the proposal by Bathurst Resources to mine conservation land on the Denniston Plateau.
The “2precious2mine” coalition wants Conservation Minister Kate Wilkinson to allow public submissions on the open-cast coal mine proposal on the Denniston Plateau.
Government Taking People for Fools
The group includes Forest & Bird, Greenpeace NZ, Coromandel Watchdog, Environment and Conservation Organisations of NZ (ECO), Federated Mountain Clubs, Coal Action Network Aotearoa, Auckland Coal Action, and Climate Justice Taranaki.
“ The government is taking the public for fools by reneging on its mining promises, " said Greenpeace spokesman, Steve Abel.
On the first working day after the election, Ms Wilkinson told conservation organisation Forest and Bird that the government would break its promise and would not give New Zealanders a say about the Denniston coal mine.
Forest and Bird believes Denniston’s special plants and animals within the area are too important to be wiped out by an open-cast coal mine, said Forest and Bird’s Top of the South Field Officer Debs Martin. “Will New Zealanders need to march again to protect them?”
Open-cast Mine Significant Application
Coromandel Watchdog members were concerned that the government was signaling a bigger push for mining, said CW secretary Clive Monds. New Zealanders had shown great support for public conservation land all around the country.
“We won’t allow politicians to forget this,” he said. "The government in 2010 stopped mining on high-value conservation land, but now seems to be telling the mining industry to proceed anyway."
Environment and Conservation Organisations of NZ (ECO) co-chair Cath Wallace, said she could not believe that the Denniston mine could be regarded as not significant.
“Refusal to publicly notify the application is a gross breach of the government’s commitment. We urge public notification and hearings,” said Ms Wallace.
References
NZ Forest and Bird Protection Society "Save the Denniston Plateau" campaign
