OceanaGold to start exploratory drilling on Coromandel forestry land
Wednesday, 23 January 2019
Mining company OceanaGold is denying claims it is targeting Coromandel beaches for exploratory drilling for gold and silver.
Environmental group Coromandel Watchdog of Hauraki said the company was targeting south eastern beaches of the Coromandel as it begins exploratory drilling in the forestry area north of Opoutere and south of Pauanui.
The company holds an exploratory permit for gold and silver on 1490 hectares that spans inland from Pauanui to north of Opoutere. The majority of this area is a forestry block.
A OceanaGold spokeswoman said they would be undertaking exploratory drilling on forestry land only.
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'We are not doing exploratory drilling on the coast and not considering mining on the coast.'
OceanaGold are in the process of negotiating with iwi about when that drilling could start.
Meanwhile, Watchdog spokesperson Augusta Macassey-Pickard said in a statement released on Wednesday that Opoutere would be completely changed if mining went ahead.
'And Pauanui is such a popular spot, with so many baches and visitors and tourists coming to the area every summer. Have these people, these communities been asked if they would welcome an industrial goldmine on top of them? No.'
When people went to these areas, they enjoyed the beaches and the surrounding areas, which would be affected if mining was ever to commence, Macassey-Pickard said.
While it is predominantly forestry, it also contains streams that flow into harbours and are used as the water supply for holiday homes.
'There are residents in those areas, and people often forget about the associated noise and industrialised pollution which can really change the character and makeup of that area.'
She understood the company planned to begin the drilling in the first quarter of this year.
Exploration is the step before mining and OceanaGold would only be undertaking such activity if it thought it was economically beneficial, she said.
OceanaGold's permit expires on June 21 this year and has applied to have it extended. A MBIE spokesman said a minerals exploration permit involved searching and assessing minerals to test if the resource is commercially viable.
It did not give the permit holder an automatic right to access the land. This needed to be arranged with the landowner and occupier.
For commercial mining to commence, a new minerals mining permit is required and there is no application for such a permit.