Mining of Denniston Plateau likely

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Tue, 22 Nov 2011 7:00p.m.

A proposal to mine 6.1 million tonnes of coal from the Denniston Plateau is before the Environment Court

A proposal to mine 6.1 million tonnes of coal from the Denniston Plateau is before the Environment Court

Two years ago there was uproar when the National government suggested the mining of conservation land as an answer to our economic woes.

The public was furious, and the government quickly backed down. Now it appears it is likely to happen - on a remote hilltop above Westport. A hilltop already set aside as conservation land.

A proposal to mine 6.1 million tonnes of coal from the Denniston Plateau is before the Environment Court, and the Australian company involved - Bathurst Resources - wants to mine an additional 80 million tonnes from the area over a 35 year period.

It would pay New Zealand a royalty to do so, employ hundreds of locals, and provide a massive economic injection into the small communities of the region.

But opponents say it's going to destroy a unique New Zealand habitat, and the government's selling New Zealand's conservation estate down the river.

So what's the priority? Jobs and income, or environment and conservation?

Watch Lachlan Forsyth's report

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Comments

09 Dec 2011 12:05a.m.

nick a wrote:

@Roger, no doubt they were saying the same about the kauri forests in the coromandel and other places. Now alot of people look back and think "how could they, just so they could make some money back then they were willing to rob people of the next 2000 years of their forests" the irony is that if they were still there they would have made more just in the last two decades through tourism than what they ever got for them as timber. Seems like Roger and the likes havent learnt anything in the last 150 years.

02 Dec 2011 06:38a.m.

Euan Mason wrote:

A tragedy in the making. It makes me angry. The right given to this mining company is not a moral one.

30 Nov 2011 01:57p.m.

Roger wrote:

Let's face it, does the average Jo NZ'der care about giant snails and a vast & desolate piece of land?

The fact that 99.9% of NZ'ders (and tourists for that matter) will never go there is indicative that no one cares deeply about it.

30 Nov 2011 12:35p.m.

Tejopala wrote:

It is ultimately not even jobs versus the environment. How will our economy do if we can't sell our clean green image with any credibility? How much money would actually remain onshore from such a mine?

But in the end it's what we as kiwis value: our beautiful country. We will stop this as we stopped the last lot. Kia kaha.

30 Nov 2011 10:50a.m.

Mel wrote:

Ridiculous how the article refers to the area as "a remote hilltop" when the proposal is for 200 hectares of conservation land.

24 Nov 2011 01:31p.m.

Nick wrote:

People supporting this mine are selfish and greedy. Mines have already ruined the neighbouring Stockon area, and you want to ruin the Denniston 'forever' too? There isn't another place like this anywhere in New Zealand, its not just rolling farmland which a lot of people would not have a problem with. It's comparable to saying lets mine Fox glacier or Mt Taranaki. Humans have already harmed most of New Zealand's land in some way, and the Goverment wants to carry on this tradition. NZ needs coal in some form, but this is the wrong way to go about it. Much of the coal would be exported anyway, and we shouldn't be encouraging dependence on fossil fuels.

23 Nov 2011 04:51p.m.

Jimmy wrote:

Not only is it mining for coal in our conservation land, it's an Australian company getting the profits?

23 Nov 2011 03:57p.m.

Allan johnston wrote:

Kiwis woke up to this utter sham...

23 Nov 2011 03:15p.m.

Annette wrote:

I lived and worked in the Buller for more than 13 years and have been up to Denniston a number of times. The plateau Bathurst wants to mine has not been mined before. It is a stunning place with plants and animals not found anywhere else. They cannot be moved and replaced later to recreate what is there now. It doesn't work like that. The plants and animals have evolved in response to their unique ecosytem and once it's destroyed that's it. Denniston Plateau should not be mined as we have already mined enough of the land in the area, destroying other valuable native habitat. There should be no new coal mines. Coal is one of the worst culprits for carbon emissions. Enough is enough. If as a country we really cared about the rest of the world and the lives of our young people and future generations we would phase out mining and burning coal as fast as possible. Buller can make better use of its stunning land that hasn't been mined or logged by further promoting ecotourism and recreation to make up for loss of mining jobs. Given its favourable climate that I appreciated when I lived there, Buller could also grow way more food that's in demand in the rest of NZ and overseas. There are jobs there and ways to make money that don't require more mining. The other issues here is that the National government has broken its word to the NZ people by failing to publicly notify consents regarding Denniston Plateau mining.

23 Nov 2011 01:08p.m.

Samantha wrote:

What is it with us humans? We seem to be going backwards with our values and solutions to make NZ a better more prosperous place. Let's think about this for a second; yes it is an easy way to make a short term financial gain for NZ. We will make money. This is, however, not a gain for the entire country, just a small population, plus those from overseas who will reap the rewards and invest that money elsewhere. When it comes down to it though, like selling our assets, this is something we can then never get back. Our land is precious to me and I would rather take the time to come up with other, smarter ways to help our economy rather than just pillage what we've got and then look back with regrets. NZ is full of intelligent, wonderful people, therefore why do we take the opinions of so few. Everyday I read or see new ways that other countries are investing in a greener future. Not only do these cities reap the rewards through tourism and jobs that are made through these new initiatives, but the general population are happier and enjoy their surroundings more. With that comes less crime and greater well being between citizens. We need to be investing our money in new enterprises not old ways to respond to a problem. So we sell our state assets, we then continue to pillage our land until we have nothing left. What's next? ( Will we enjoy our country when it looks like a barren waste land? I wouldn't.) So it's back to the drawing board, to come up with other ways to make our country richer while trying, at the same time, to find money to repair the holes in the earth, replant trees and return it to a version of it's former glory. How much does that cost, not only to our economy but to our country? This entire situation saddens me. Continuously we are having the European debt crisis shoved down our throats. Threatening us with the same if we do not take these drastic steps to get ourselves out of this mess. Action must be taken and fast, if not, well who knows what will happen! It's a scary situation to be in! My heart tells me that mining that conservation land is not the right way to go. It's not why I moved back to NZ after 12 years away. I love it here and I love it because it's New Zealand, not Australia, not the US, not Europe, but New Zealand and we are all very proud of it. My plea to anyone that reads this is to take some time out this Saturday if you can. Go out before you vote and take a stroll to a place you love. Get some fresh air in your lungs and take a moment to look around. I bet none of you will take that walk to a mine!