Ecological effects of Santana gold mine uncertain and unknown, experts say
Friday, 12 June 2026
Even if a mining company spent “tens of millions of dollars” trying to save endangered lizards from its proposed Central Otago gold mine site, there is no guarantee any of them would survive.
This was the bottom line laid out by experts for Santana Minerals, which is proposing to build a large gold mine near Cromwell, during a hearing into the ecological impacts of its plan.
On Friday, Santana’s expert, Graham Ussher, told a Fast-track panel assessing the Australian company’s mine application, that “salvaging” and releasing more than 100,000 skinks and geckos would “definitely” cost this amount, and this figure didn’t include improvements necessary in the areas the lizards would be transferred to.
His colleague, Matt Baber, made it clear to the panel there was no guarantee any of the relocated lizards would survive.
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An estimated 500,000-750,000 lizards are believed to be within the 610ha proposed to be directly disturbed by the open pit and underground mine, and Santana is suggesting it relocate 20%, or about 100,000 of these, to other areas.
These include the Kawarau gecko, which is found only in Central Otago’s drylands and is vulnerable to extinction.
The Fast-track panel heard that such a relocation would be the largest undertaken in New Zealand and its chances of success were unknown, as such a transfer had never been previously done on this scale, in this area, or with these species.
Panel chairperson Matthew Muir, KC, asked why so much attention was therefore being paid to the issue, given this uncertainty, and suggested it was “a balm for the conscience”.
Baber replied that if they didn’t do anything then none of the lizards would survive, but if they implemented the relocation plan, “some have got a chance”.
“We’re damned if we do, we’re damned if we don’t,” Baber acknowledged.
He concluded there would be significant adverse effects on lizards within the mine area.
The same conclusion was reached by experts regarding invertebrate species.
Santana expert Keith Barber acknowledged there would be a “large number of significant effects”, with a net loss of indigenous invertebrates, but said arguments existed about the scale of this loss.
Otago Regional Council expert Rebecca Teale said much of what was proposed by Santana was experimental, with uncertain outcomes, because something like this had never been done before.
However, she believed the scale of invertebrate loss would be greater than Santana’s experts were predicting.
Department of Conservation expert Warren Chinn said Santana hadn’t provided sufficient evidence about the likely outcome of its plans to mitigate invertebrate loss.
“You could try this, and whether or not it works is completely moot.”
When asked by Muir what would salve his concerns, Chinn indicated this could only be done by vastly reducing or abandoning the mine proposal, suggesting “having a discussion about curtailing enthusiasm for the endeavour”.
Both Chinn and Teale pointed to the unique and harsh environment of the very dry Dunstan Mountains where the mine was proposed, meaning outcomes were even more uncertain, with Chinn describing what Santana was proposing ecologically as “an investment in possibility”.
Fast-track panel members also heard there was uncertainty around contaminant levels in water at the mine, including lakes in the pits that would be dug, and in the 2km-long tailings dam where about 22 million tonnes of chemical waste will be stored permanently.
This meant it was unclear what effects the mine would have on birds.
It also raised concerns about contaminants entering the human food chain by way of ducks.
“We really want to be certain that water quality is well within the guidelines of safety,” DOC’s avian expert, Rogan Colbourne, said.
The experts agreed more information from relevant specialists was needed regarding water toxicity, as well as other issues including the effect of vehicle lights at the mine.
Santana says its Bendigo-Ophir Gold Project is New Zealand’s most significant gold find in 40 years. It spent $8 million preparing its 9500-page Fast-track application, but the panel has requested significant amounts of further information from the company in recent months.
The expert conferencing, or “hot-tubbing”, regarding the proposed mine will continue in Wellington next week, considering issues such as broader water quality in the area, the economics of Santana’s proposal, and geotechnical evidence related to the tailings dam.
A final decision on whether the controversial mine, which has split the Central Otago community, goes ahead or not, will be made by the Fast-track panel by October 29.