Mine Toxins Could Threaten Local Economy and Kaimoana

Friday 20 April 2012, Kaipatiki: As protests loom over mineral and other asset sales, the threat of long term pollution in Northland underpin concerns about mining being pushed into the region.

“Dams near the Waihi gold mine hold 40 million tonnes of toxic waste. Imagine dams holding millions of tonnes of toxic waste in the hills around Whangaroa or Puhipuhi. Where would these huge dams go in areas famous for flooding?” says Dean Baigent-Mercer Chairperson of Forest and Bird’s Far North Branch.

“The design life of a tailings dam is 100 to 150 years - that's if, and only if, they are well designed to hold the type of toxic waste you get from mining gold, silver or copper. But these dams would need to keep things safe a lot longer than that, we’re talking timespans of thousands of years.”

Approximately 18 tonnes of toxic waste is created for one gold ring.

Imagine a tailngs dam collapse: A wall of toxic sludge engulfs homes, flows through towns, farmland, wetlands, waterways and eventually the sea. Fortunately the cyanide used to separate gold in the crushed rock is gone within a few years but it’s the toxic heavy metals that are a long term problem because they build up in the food chain and concentrate at the top of the food web.

“That means eels, flounder, snapper, kingfish, sharks, dolphins, whales, marlin and hapuka would end up full of toxins”, said Bryce Smith on behalf of te Wakameninga o nga hapu o Ngapuhi. “It means we’ll have to start testing to see if we can eat kaimoana and stop if they become poisonous or it will poison us too. Our way of life would have changed forever for short term gain”.

In Thames, Coromandel last month parents in one suburb were told not to eat veges from their gardens or let kids put dirt in their mouths (1). This is because the suburb was built on top of toxic gold mining waste put there 60-90 years ago.

“People can go a bit silly with money talk and promises of jobs that are being dangled in front of us. It’s a bribe to see how easily we’ll part with our resources and consent to toxic waste being dumped in our backyard for the benefit of foreign companies. They want us to buckle quickly – or be silent. The age of corporate colonisation is here, the question is if you will allow it to happen?” says Mr Smith.

“Gold used in technology is relatively small. Most gold already mined sits in bank vaults. We should use this sensibly first before creating more problems. It’s the responsibility of us all to look after where we live for the short, medium and long term, so we can pass it on in better condition than it is now”, says Mr Baigent-Mercer.

“Whangaroa is a maritime recreational park with aquaculture, ecotourism, fishing and spawning grounds and in the near future we’ll be proposing marine reserves. Why would you want mining that could wipe it all out? If the proposals were good for the environment, good for our community and good for our future we would welcome it. But you would be a fool to ignore the high level of danger”, concludes Mr Smith.

An anti-mining protest outside Far North District Council building in Kerikeri, will be held Tuesday 24 April at 3pm as part of the hikoi: ‘AOTEAROA IS NOT FOR SALE’.

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