Controversial Waikato mine project on fast-track list
Tuesday, 8 October 2024
A controversial Waikato mining site has been given the Government’s Fast Track tick of approval, which could see it bypass public or legal challenge.
The Oceana Gold Waihi North Operation is part of the 149 projects selected under the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill.
The Waikato mining site, consisting of an underground mining operation Wharekirauponga, between Whangamatā and Waihī has been included in the bill to be assessed by an expert panel.
A small open pit development would also be constructed next to the existing industrial site to the south of Waihī township.
Under the new legislation consent processes which are usually run by local councils with rights of appeal through the Environment Court are instead considered by a small expert panel.
The addition of the mining site on the Fast-track Approvals Bill was welcome news for those at the international mining company who saw the bill as an opportunity to further contribute to the economy while balancing environmental and social standards.
“We welcome the inclusion of Waihi North and Macraes Phase 4 (Dunedin) on the list of projects eligible to make an application under the proposed Fast-track Approvals Bill for regionally and nationally significant infrastructure and development projects,” Alison Paul, saenior vice president, legal and public affairs says.
But the inclusion of the Oceana Gold operation was a major disappointment, said former Green MP and Chairperson of Coromandel Watchdog, Catherine Delahunty.
The Wharekirauponga site, a large forest park on the edge of the Otahu river had long been a focus of tensions between industry and environmental protesters.
“We think it’s incredibly wrong that Oceana Gold was included in this list, I mean a lot of the list is disappointing,” Delahunty says.
There were pros and cons to the mining site being featured on the list, Hauraki District Mayor Toby Adams says.
The miner was 'midway through the consent process' but there was some 'highly technical information' required from Oceana Gold before they could proceed.
Since being included on the Fast-Track list, if given the go-ahead it would mean the consent process typically overseen by local council’s would no longer be needed.
The Fast Track Bill meant ratepayers would not need to incur the cost of the typical public consultation process.
But it also meant there would be a lack of voice from the community Adams says, as under the normal process a hearing could take place even if the application had been accepted.
“We just have to make it really clear that this is the Government’s agenda,” Adams says.
The inclusion of the site on the bill list showed how mining companies could skip the existing council-based system, Delahunty says.
“There will be no scrutiny, there will be no way in which we the public and tangata whenua with ancestral connections to that place, can ask the questions and provide the expert witnesses. All we can do is challenge as much as we can and we will continue to challenge them.”
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones said the policy would deliver jobs to towns like Waihī.
“The 149 projects selected by the Government have significant regional or national benefits. They will make a big difference in the regions by delivering jobs and growth and develop a pipeline of major projects to help boost the economy,”
As the recent government report ‘The Mineral Potential of New Zealand’ states, both Macraes and Waihī are world-class mines and represent a significant proportion of New Zealand's minerals sector, Paul says.
“We continue to publicly advocate for them on that basis.”