Forest & Bird » Terrestrial

NO MINING on Conservation land or National Parks

(45 posts)
  • Started 1 year ago
  1. Kaipara
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    This is the government of national stupidity if it thinks the Public will let it plunder our most precious conservation lands !

    Only the core 40 percent of our most precious and highly protected areas in the country is protected from mining (in Schedule 4 of the Conservation Act) !! This includes our National Parks and special areas such as scientific and ecological reserves.

    The other 60 per cent of our public conservation land, conservation parks, and scenic reserves etc is not protected in this way. These remaining public conservation lands are already open to mining operations via mining licences. That's enough of a sacrifice for the economic development craved by the capitalists.

    The mining industry is greedy and rapacious ! Closely followed by their followers in the Ministry of Economic Development, the National and ACT Party, Maori party and United Future MPs.

    How dare they conspire by shifty tactics to rob us, our children, and future generations of our most precious forests, lakes, wetlands, islands, dunes and beaches AND suggest they replace them with ugly, destructive open cast mines !?

    It will surely be a mistake that will be punished by the millions of NZers who love their country passionately for it's iconic landscapes, beautiful coasts and islands, pristine and ancient forests, and unique wildlife. It is the setting for a quality of life that NZers value more highly than the vague promise of more economic prosperity, and definitely higher than allowing greedy mining companies make a profit at the expense of our environment !

    Posted 1 year ago #
  2. auckland anne
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    But if you look back at what Mr Key said about F&B a few short years ago, he loves F&B! http://www.johnkey.co.nz/index.php?/archives/158-SPEECH-Environment,-economy-a-balancing-act.html
    Surely he wouldn't be so cynical and short-sighted as to change that outlook so drastically. I mean, F&B is just doing now what he admired so much then - speaking out for the protection of our environment.

    Posted 1 year ago #
  3. Kaipara
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    National wasn't in power a few short years ago. That was when they were greasing every palm to become the Government.

    It would be naiive to think that this government puts any priority on environmental sustainability ahead of profit and economic development. Their intention to mine our National Parks is probably just the first move to unpick the progress made by previous governments on behalf of generations of NZers.

    Posted 1 year ago #
  4. Kaipara
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    Mining companies say protected conservation areas of zero interest (NZ Herald today).

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/environment/news/article.cfm?c_id=39&objectid=10632712

    Latest reaction to proposals to mine in sensitive areas like GBI and the Coromandel, but a noticeable absence of denial re intentions for mining in National Parks such as the Paparoa NP.

    Red herrings are flying around, but who believes the Government has really backed down from mining in our National Parks and Conservation Areas ??

    Hope F&B keeps pushing to find out what is really going on. They've done a great watchdog role so far and should be encouraged by that success to keep up the pressure.

    Posted 1 year ago #
  5. Kaipara
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    The Government keep repeating that they can balance environmental and economic interests ... but how do you do that when there is NO way to balance destroying our precious conservation land (and yes schedule 4 conservation land can still have HIGH conservation values and does so in places like the Coromandel Peninsula, Paparoas, GBI plateau etc!) against the short term, one-off gains for overseas mining companies.

    No percentage of mining company royalties put aside for conservation is going to redress
    that balance !!

    The only way to get balance between environmental and economic interests is through sustainable businesses, and open cast mining in conservation areas can NEVER rate as a sustainable business !!

    Posted 1 year ago #
  6. maungawhau
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    Could someone with a better memory than me tell us ...
    When the Paparoa National Park was created, didn't some large areas of potential mining land get excluded from the national park?

    The govt discussion document is out (stuff website has a link)
    http://static.stuff.co.nz/files/MaximisingOurMineralPotential.pdf
    A rather open ended hack at conservation land.

    Posted 1 year ago #
  7. auckland anne
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    Not sure about Paparoa, maungawhau, but here's a bit from another thread on this room about Oteake Park:
    Probably the most important and, ecologically, the rarest part of the new Park was the tussock and shrubland that went right down to the banks of the Manuherikia River. Here the public have easy access along Home Hills Run Road and Hawkdun Run Roads. These interlinking gravel roads meet at an old fashioned one lane bridge across the Manuherikia River. These roads are the gateway to the new Park. The National Government has however recently excised 400 hectares from the proposed new Park. The part that they have cut out from the Park gazettal area is the accessible tussock and shrublands alongside the river and the county road right near the bridge. Why? Because beneath the native plants and tussock flat there is lignite. This lignite may have potential for mining to then generate one of the world's dirtiest and most CO2 polluting form of energy.

    If Minister Grosser thinks a lignite mine beside a pristine high country river, next to a public road and immediately alongside the Oteake Tussockland Park will have a "negligible effect" then he is in a dreamworld. Look at the devastation caused by tar sand mining in Northern Alberta, Canada to get some idea of what an opencast lignite mine would look like. Look up any reference text and see the huge amount of CO2 and other pollutants that lignite mining and burning releases.

    Posted 1 year ago #
  8. Kaipara
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    Spinning the balance

    Once upon a time, a Government came up with a wonderful new strategy ...

    Whip up a bit of a media frenzy over your publicised proposals to allow mining in National Parks.

    Let the media and the public stew for a few months, generating lots of attention on the matter, but don't release any definitive proposals for as long as possible.

    Give the issue a good airing in the media til the public appear to have run out of steam. Throw in a few red herrings like a distinction between high value land in national parks and other "disposable" conservation land in national parks.

    At the same time, blame the media and leading conservation organisation for "hysterical" reaction.

    Constantly claim that it's not a problem because you will "balance" the environmental and economic interests.

    Once the issue has had a good airing, reduce the amount of land drastically, from maybe 500,000ha to 7000ha, so it looks like you have responded to public pressure.

    Release the "community consultation" document, but only give the public 6 weeks to respond, because you want to maintain momentum on the issue.

    After six weeks, dismiss the consultation responses with ... it's ok because we can "balance" the environmental and economic interests.

    Go ahead as planned with removing precious high value conservation land from Schedule 4 protection and mine the heck out of it.

    Remind the public constantly that it's ok to destroy these precious ecosystems because there are economic benefits. Remind them that they will get a pittance towards local conservation projects too. Pay lip-service to environmental protection at every opportunity.

    Repeat often that you are "balancing" economic benefits with environmental exploitation, so it's ok to destroy and despoil former high value conservation land and chip away at NZ's pristine environment. Don't let the public see that "balance" is really "nonsense" !!

    Don't let tourists see that NZ is no longer 100% pure, because 82% pure dosn't market so well. Hide shameful open cast mines and tailing dams from tourist view, or justify with economic necessity.

    Keep the public in the dark as long as possible. Don't tell them that this is only the first such move planned, one that will set a precedent, so that your Government can pretend that trashing these high value conservation areas was worthwhile, can gloat about economic benefits (albeit to overseas mining companies), and can go ahead and do it again and again in the name of "economic and environmental balance".

    Ooops, the Government got both the economic benefits and the environmental costs all wrong. The strategy failed due to massive public outcry that lasted til the next election, and the Government lost out in a massive swing to the left from a public who were not duped by tired rhetoric about an economic and environmental strategy doomed to failure.

    The End

    Posted 1 year ago #
  9. maungawhau
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    I had another read of the govt proposal.
    Besides the scam about increasing the protected area under schedule 4 by x thousand hectares (by counting new reserves that would naturally be gazetted as schedule 4 anyway), there is also the interesting politician-speak about "land". More than half the new schedule 4 is marine reserve, and they are usually beneath the sea ...
    So, there is (ballpark estimate - I haven't counted the rock outcrops) no gain of "land" reserved from mining.
    There are no lies, but should politicians be able to get away with this nonsense?
    Gerry Brownlee on TV1 this evening (closeup) seemed to me to be trying to bury in loose words his proposal to explore for minerals another (half a million hectares?) hunk of schedule 4 land. Well done to Kevin Hackwell.

    Posted 1 year ago #
  10. kauri
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    THe land portion of the quid pro quo Schedule 4 areas is only 5891 ha. The Government take out of Schedule 4 the 7058ha of pristine, beautiful, National Park, and they put into Schedule 4, 5891ha of land that should have been put in there, and has been waiting for approval since they were elected in 2008.

    Worse is the massively inflated billions the Government is getting away with as values for the mineral wealth of the 7058ha of our National Parks.

    This total mineral wealth estimated value has gone up 40 billion since they last floated these figures ! Then the figure used, $140 billion estimate of mineral wealth in NZ, was compared to independent estimates of $6.5 billion, so on that basis all the break-down figures they give for the different areas should be challenged.

    Let's hope the media does some proper investigation and stops trotting out the Government's specious propaganda on this !

    Posted 1 year ago #
  11. kukupa
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  12. Kaipara
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    This is the link to the full Government "community consultation" document on the proposals to move high value conservation land out of Schedule 4 protection. It's on the Ministry of Economic Development website with maps showing the areas proposed.

    http://www.med.govt.nz/templates/MultipageDocumentTOC____42792.aspx

    If the link isn't live, copy and paste into your web browser.

    Posted 1 year ago #
  13. Kaipara
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    Should we trust Key’s latest “assurances’ that there will be no open-cast mining on Great Barrier Island or the Coromandel, given they were given under duress and with the protection of parliamentary privilege at oral question time today ?

    Do such assurances also mean there WILL be open-cast mining in the Paparoas and at Rakiura if the government is allowed to proceed that far and enable the mining land grab in our National Parks? Is genuine and robust “community consultation” really taking place on this proposal or is this just the government going through the motions ?

    I agree that tourism (and especially sustainable eco-tourism) that rely on NZ’s clean, green image for their business success, are the ones that will suffer.

    These are NEW ZEALAND tourism businesses that collectively earn $21 billion annually for our economy and provide hundreds of local jobs.

    Key (ironically the Minister of Tourism - or should that be the Minister against Tourism?) seems to prefer millions in profit going to overseas mining companies instead, at the expense of not only our tourism industry, but our international reputation and our environmental integrity.

    The mining industry might earn millions from the minerals, but these are largely overseas owned mining companies that will profit off our precious conservation lands, while only paying a small percentage royalty to the NZ Government. Royalties paid to the Government from mining land are usually two percent of revenue or five percent of gross profit, whichever is the highest. Given the speculative nature of the industry, (for example only 1:1000 prospects produce results), even if they strike in the Paparoas, Coromandel, GBI or Rakiura, the royalties and so-called benefits won’t compensate for the loss of precious, pristine, conservation land.

    Nor will these promised speculative benefits of capital expenditure, wages, and taxes etc compensate for the damage to the benefits already flowing from our established tourism industry. And tonight we learn that Key hasn't even assessed the potential damage of these mining proposals on the tourism industry that he is charged with leading !

    This Government is SO bereft of ideas and expertise to trade its way out of the recession by promoting NZ sustainable businesses, that it is willing to gamble our environmental heritage, primary industries and tourism futures - for a pittance.

    Posted 1 year ago #
  14. auckland anne
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    This link is photos of the sorts of places that could be opened up to mining if they're taken out of Schedule 4 ..
    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/image.cfm?c_id=1&gal_objectid=10633656&gallery_id=110093#6871082

    Posted 1 year ago #
  15. Kaipara
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    Good to see and hear, a growing skepticism in the media and the public, that the Government estimate of wealth from mining is very inflated, and the threat to tourism is real and already happening ! I hope they find a way of burying this foolish proposal. If not, the next election will hopefully take care of it.

    Posted 1 year ago #
  16. Auckland musician Kevin Fogarty has been belted out a song in response to the mining proposals put forward by the government - take a listen -

    http://www.forestandbird.org.nz/mining-song

    If you know of any musicians that are feel like contributing to this page - give 'em a holler....

    Posted 1 year ago #
  17. auckland anne
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    A little rendition is (k) e (y) flat Miner ??

    Posted 1 year ago #
  18. Kaipara
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    Speaking of growing skepticism ... in the Government's discussion paper on the Schedule 4 take of conservation land for mining, they outline the contestable conservation fund, funded by 50% of royalties etc which all sounds fine except that this is open to all, "including government departments".

    So the fund that the Government are setting up (as a sop to the community for ripping off some of our precious high value conservation land on GBI, the CoroPen, the Paparoas and possibly Rakiura etc), is open to Government Depts, presumably including DOC?? to apply for some of these funds, thus denying the community direct access to part of those funds ... ???

    So we have a conservation fund, funded by mining royalties, open to all, that Government departments are going to dip into as well .... ???

    Is this because DOC will be so poorly funded by then that they will be competing with the community for available funding ... ???

    Is this an indication of future Government policy ... ???

    Posted 1 year ago #
  19. auckland anne
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    Given all their assertions (not even murmers!) about "opening the conservation estate up to commercial drivers" and the like, I'd say your take on it is perfectly in-keeping. Frightening and frustrating, but totally the direction it's going in apparently.
    Except the DoC probably won't get a look in to the Contestable Fund trough; they'll be left spinning as Ministry of Finance roars past pushing and shoving and kicking anything in it's way, and the Minister of Conservation might get a job waving them on.
    There should be new positions coming available in the Public Service sector though, for cheerleaders.

    Posted 1 year ago #
  20. Kaipara
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    Cheerleaders ???

    Posted 1 year ago #
  21. auckland anne
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    To cheer on the different competiters in the race to the fund.

    Posted 1 year ago #
  22. Kaipara
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    Just read (at this link http://blog.forestandbird.org.nz/ ) that Archey’s frog - THE world’s most evolutionarily distinct and globally endangered amphibian – is also threatened by proposals to mine in the ecological reserves of the Coromandel Peninsula.

    So ... the Government changes the law to allow our precious, high bio-diversity value conservation land to be taken for mining, (starting with 7000+ha), hastens the world’s most important frog towards extinction, (and destroys the habitat of a whole lot more of our native flora and fauna), creates a conservation fund that the Government can also dip into, and subsidises the mining industry to the tune of $4 million to look for more areas of our precious high bio-diversity conservation lands to desecrate.

    And at the same time damage our $21billion Tourism industry ? Anyone doing the maths would have to wonder at the lengths this Government will go, to pander to the mining industry to the detriment of the country's future.

    On the Coromandel Peninsula, this “speculative opportunity” might be a huge open cast mine to look for a handful of gold or whatever.

    Or it might be some “surgical” mining, that will leave the area despoiled with a huge tailings mountain, toxic runoff, mining truck traffic, and will endanger communities who have to live with that pollution in an increasingly erosion and flood-prone wasteland.

    And all the time they are spinning like a whirling dervish, to sell the Government propaganda that would have New Zealanders believe that this mining of our heritage will bring in billions of dollars to New Zealand ??

    Can it get any worse ?

    Posted 1 year ago #
  23. auckland anne
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    I see that F&B has a quick online submission we can send on the discussion paper
    http://www.forestandbird.org.nz/mining-conservation-land
    that can obviously be modifed as much as you want, but gives a good basic idea of what a submission could say.

    Posted 1 year ago #
  24. Kaipara
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    At this link is an excellent new article/opinion piece by Geoff Keey from the Stuff website, on the impact the Government's mining proposals are already having on our economy and our international reputation.

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/blogs/opinion/3511832/Mining-our-special-places-risks-tarnishing-forever-New-Zealands-clean-green-image

    Posted 1 year ago #
  25. Kaipara
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    Good to have some good news for a change !! One in six National voters would not vote for the Government due to their proposals to mine in conservation land.

    See the article by Political Editor Grahame Armstrong at

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/3517931/Mining-plans-turn-Nat-voters-off-government/

    Posted 1 year ago #
  26. kukupa
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    Here's some pics I got off Facebook. The group (No mining in NZ's National Parks) now has 13,960 members!

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    1. 15726_408146830066_547655066_5395814_5.jpg (82.3 KB, 0 downloads) 1 year old
    Posted 1 year ago #
  27. kukupa
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    Mr Key looks for another mining opportunity.

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    1. 25222_1356929117361_1055485857_1032256.jpg (12.6 KB, 0 downloads) 1 year old
    Posted 1 year ago #
  28. kukupa
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    Photo showing the tailings dam of a mine in corromandel - 4 x bigger than the mine itself

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    1. 24246_10150157201890402_765190401_1178.jpg (84.8 KB, 0 downloads) 1 year old
    Posted 1 year ago #
  29. kukupa
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    This is what will happen to our hills if we let them mine it to increase the content of their pockets. They will do this and leave …

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    1. 27038_343945664389_703859389_3314316_1.jpg (81.5 KB, 0 downloads) 1 year old
    Posted 1 year ago #
  30. kukupa
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    .

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    1. 16260_222197703775_680423775_4205711_5.jpg (66.5 KB, 0 downloads) 1 year old
    Posted 1 year ago #

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