Barrytown mine gets green light after Environment Court resolution
Thursday, 3 October 2024
A sand mine on the West Coast has the go-ahead after an Environment Court appeal was resolved by the company agreeing to amend conditions and reduce its hours of operation.
Independent commissioners unanimously granted consents from the Grey district and West Coast regional councils to TiGa Minerals and Metals for an open cast sand mineral mine at Barrytown near Greymouth in April.
The decision was appealed by the Coast Road Resilience Group and the Director-General of Conservation, and the Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society of New Zealand joined in support of aspects of the appeal. Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Waewae joined the appeal in support of the grant of the consent.
The consents were to mine 4.8 million tonnes of minerals like garnet, ilmenite, zircon and gold from 63 hectares over a 12-year period, construct a processing plant and for an average of 50 truck movements a day between the site and Greymouth or Westport.
TiGa managing director Robert Brand said the appeal had been resolved by agreement reached through mediation and the Environment Court had issued a consent order.
“We now have all the permits and approvals required to allow mining to commence. The parties have agreed to amended conditions of consent that address concerns while still enabling mining activity to operate.”
The key condition changes related to wetland setbacks and reduced hours of operation for trucking, loading of trucks, mining, overburden and topsoil stripping, bund development and other related activities.
The site is within the coastal environment and adjacent to wetlands, so the changes were to further reduce the risk of adverse effects on indigenous avifauna including the Westland petrel or Tāiko, which only breeds in colonies nearby.
Brand said the project on privately-owned farmland would produce $63 million of export earnings a year, boosting Grey district’s exports by 46% annually.
Coast Road Resilience Group chairman Katherine Crick said settling at mediation was not the outcome the group had hoped for, but they had managed to negotiate some improved conditions, especially around the Westland petrel, setbacks from wetlands, and protective planting.
“Trying to stop the operation has been a gruelling process. We believe this mine is not a good fit for the Barrytown Flats,” she said.
She said the site had a high water table and was very close to wetlands and coastal lagoons, and remaining concerns included water quality management, noise, dust and heavy traffic.
Crick said the group would watch closely to ensure the company did not breach conditions.
Forest & Bird’s Nicky Snoyink said mediation had made a bad situation slightly better.
While mining would only occur in daylight hours, the processing plant would operate non-stop.
She said stronger consent conditions would reduce effects of this high risk activity on the surrounding wetlands, protected areas and the area’s native species.
“However, the presence of a 24/7 industrial mining operation remains a significant concern for the Westland petrel, given the proximity to the breeding colony and flightpaths.”
“It remains unknown if the planned mitigating measures will be effective in avoiding adverse effects on this precious and vulnerable species.”
Snoyink said there would be considerable activity and disturbance close to coastal lagoons, which were an important habitat for many threatened and at-risk native birds.
“Although larger setbacks with plantings were achieved during mediation to minimise disturbance, the impact of the operation, particularly on more sensitive species, remains unknown.”
West Coast Regional Council chairman Peter Haddock said the council welcomed the Environment Court’s decision to confirm its granting of consent for mine.
“That collaborative process led to environmental concerns being resolved, while enabling the project to proceed with some modifications.
“The TiGa project was advanced through close engagement with Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Waewae Arahura and will achieve economic and social benefits for the West Coast.”
He said any potential adverse effects, including those on the tāiko, would be appropriately managed and the council would monitor and enforce the resource consent conditions.