29 November 2011– Wellington

Forest & Bird media release for immediate use


Government ramps up mining agenda on first day back in office

On the first working day after the election, Conservation Minister Kate Wilkinson has told Forest & Bird that the government will break its promise to give New Zealanders a say about whether an open-cast coal mine on Denniston Plateau public conservation land can go ahead.

After the government’s backdown last year on opening national parks to mining, Kate Wilkinson and Gerry Brownlee said on 20 July 2010 that “significant applications to mine on public conservation land should be publicly notified”. Kate Wilkinson confirmed that the government has reneged on this promise in her letter sent to Forest & Bird yesterday.

Forest & Bird Conservation Advocate Nicola Vallance said the government was taking a closed-door approach with an open-cast coal mine at Denniston. “This will allow Australian-owned Bathurst Resources to dig up over 160 hectares of the Denniston Plateau without an opportunity for the public to have a say about conservation concerns. This would be the biggest open-cast coal mine on New Zealand’s conservation estate,” she said.

“This stunning landscape belongs to the people of New Zealand and is held in trust for them for future generations,” Nicola Vallance said.

“It is home to a wide range of native plants and animals, including the threatened great spotted kiwi. Many of the plants and animals are found nowhere else in New Zealand.

“After last year’s Schedule 4 debate, the government promised New Zealanders that it would give them a say on new mining applications. It is very cynical that it waited until the first day back in office before telling the public they will be shut out of standing up for their natural heritage,” Nicola Vallance said.

“There is nothing in the Crown Minerals Act to stop ministers calling for public submissions on the proposed mine. They could then take these into consideration when making the decision, and the decision would be better informed.

“Most of the nearby Stockton Plateau has already been destroyed by an open-cast coal mine. It’s crucial that the same doesn’t happen at Denniston.”

* From the media release by Energy Minister Gerry Brownlee and Conservation Minister Kate Wilkinson announcing the mining U-turn on 20 July 2010:

11. What has the government agreed to, and why?

The government has agreed in principle that significant applications to mine on public land should be publicly notified – currently no notification is required. This proposal was not raised in the discussion paper as an issue for discussion, but the government has noted public feedback on this matter and is responding accordingly.

The proposal will ensure that mining-related applications are treated in the same way as other applications for access to conservation land. The change will provide an opportunity for affected people and businesses to have their views taken into account when decisions are made about mining applications of significance.

The technical details:
To develop the open-cast coal mine, Australian-owned Bathurst Resources must
• Gain resource consent for the mine and coal-processing plant It has received this, but Forest & Bird and others are appealing against the decision.
• Gain a concession from the Conservation Minister to build a coal-processing plant and roads. The Conservation Act covers the concession and would be publicly notified.
• Gain an access arrangement from the Conservation Minister to destroy conservation land to get access to the coal underneath. The Crown Minerals Act covers the access arrangement. It is under this Act that the minister has refused to include public input.
•
The government does not need to change the Crown Minerals Act to let the public have a say in the access agreement.

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