Brownlee has signaled that mining is inevitable, and he hasn't ruled out mining in our top conservation areas. Us greenies sure have a battle on our hands.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10659430
Forest & Bird » Other
Mining 'inevitable'
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Posted 1 year ago #
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Mr Brownlee and his ministerial colleagues are totally misguided in their determination to trash New Zealand's international green image by opening National Parks and areas protected by Schedule 4 to mining.
I have spent the last 6 weeks on a study tour to the most remote and wild parts of Australia and met with many Australians and many mining engineers. They have all been aware of, and can't understand, the antics of the NZ Government.
For geological reasons, Australia is awash with mineral resources. New Zealand is not. However we have a lot of assets-mostly well watered farmland, forests and abundant water resources that Australia does not have. Without exception, the Australians we met want to visit NZ and experience the clean, green protected lands of this country.
They think we are utterly mad to want to open our most protected areas to mining!
Meanwhile huge new mineral resources are being discovered and their mining announced virtually every week in Australia. The biggest challenge facing Australians is how to avoid severe environmental damage from those new and existing mines and also make sure that significant revenue from those mines accrues to the Australain people and is not simply transferred overseas...hence the new tax that miners are going to have to pay in Australia.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Oh well maybe it's not going to happen after all according to TV3, they're going to do a complete backdown -
http://www.3news.co.nz/National-U-turn---no-mining-on-conservation-land/tabid/419/articleID/166527/Default.aspxIt maybe too early to celebrate though...
Posted 1 year ago #
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