Importance of New Zealand’s largest mining region underscored
By local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:
The high profile West Coast mining sector can no longer be just characterised as coal and gold but as a linchpin to the region's economy and vital services.
That's the view of Te Tai o Poutini Plan principle planner Loise Easton who offered her opening statement on day one of the formal hearings into the proposed ‘one district plan’.
The all-encompassing plan will eventually replace the current three district plans that operate across the West Coast.
She noted the region had the largest coal mine in New Zealand, at Stockton – with an historic footprint bigger in area than the city of Christchurch.
At the same time “a plethora” of other resources in the ground such as rare earth minerals were coming into prominence thanks to international demand for high tech components for the likes of electric cars and solar panels.
“Often it’s a case of many of those things people haven’t paid much attention to in the past, but now are part of the potential economic future of the West Coast.”
Easton told hearing commissioner Paul Roger that while employment numbers at Stockton were lower than historically, the region was largely dominated by many small mines employing from two to three people.
Easton said even though the domestic coal market was being pared back the necessity for high quality thermal coal exported from the region for steel manufacture "can't be replaced" yet.
At the same time gold mining in the region remained significant.
The mainly alluvial gold sector was not in decline as evidenced in the Reefton area with significant investigation of new permits underway.
“Mineral extraction is what the West Coast has been built on. With the decline in coal, it does not mean the end of mining on the West Coast,” said Easton.
A big question for the TTPP planners had been what happened when current mine licences expired, and this had partly driven the designation of a Minerals Zone within the proposed plan, she said.
Currently much of the region was subject to Crown Mineral Licence system, with the likes of Stockton still operating under that system after decades rather than through the newer RMA regime.
However while Stockton's licence was due to expire in 2028, the footprint was huge with significant parts of the Stockton Plateau subject to extensive and ongoing rehabilitation, including over areas that had historic acid mine problems dating from 19th century mining.
“All of these are in the wider Stockton area, operating under the mining licence system.
“While stuff may not be coming out of the ground, rehabilitation is going on.”
This had seen “huge impact” in the improved health of some Buller waterways by dealing with a legacy of leaching from aggregates exposed through mining back to the 19th century.
Easton said while mining drove a "huge strategic direction" the other reality was the region also had five national parks within its boundary, with 84% of the land area under Crown agency control.
Alongside that much of the private land in the region - to be subject to the SNA process - had significant biodiversity along a long and significant coastline.
As such, the recently promulgated West Coast Policy Statement "does set a very strong direction for the natural environment."
Poll: What is the smallest size hearing device Triton Hearing offer?
Some kiwis think hearing devices are big and ugly.
What if we told you technology has advanced substantially and they’re available in all shapes, colours, and sizes?
Go in the draw to win* a $40 MTA voucher when you share your answer to the
question below. Give it a go!
*T&C’s apply – must be over 18.
-
87.2% a) The size of a pea
-
5.3% b) The size of a AAA battery
-
7.5% c) The size of a $2 coin
And the 2024 Prospa Local Business Hero is...
A huge congratulations to mother and son duo, Mary and Sam Danielson from The Puketapu Hotel.
The votes for all finalists have been tallied and they have been chosen by Neighbourly members across the country as the Prospa Local Business Hero of 2024.
The Puketapu Hotel was nominated by a local called Margaret and the nomination reads:
'On Feb 14, 2023, Cyclone Gabrielle flooded many of the rural areas. Puketapu Hotel went under perhaps half a meter of water. However, immediately Mary Danielson and her son, Sam Danielson, along with their loyal staff pulled it together to cook copious amounts of food that without electricity would have been wasted. Throughout the years many of us have been treated with a pub gathering where we can reconnect and a free meal. At Christmas there was Santa, games, gifts for kids, donated patchwork for adults, an ice cream truck and lots of camaraderie.
This February on the cyclone anniversary, they again pulled out the stops to give hundreds of us a special night. We are all tired of the cyclone cleanup and they understood that it was needed.'
Such a deserving business and team, well done Mary and Sam. And thank you to all those who voted!
Quarry risk to Tranz Alpine train, but no quick fix
By local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:
Delays in the decommissioning of dangerous rock quarry near Greymouth has raised the ire of a West Coast Regional councillor.
A fresh report on the mothballed Kiwi Point Quarry this week to council's Infrastructure Governance Group did not go down well with councillor Peter Ewen.
He said the risk to the public from the site had already been on the radar for at least six years and the fresh report - following a geotechnical report in mid-2022 - made no reference to the abandoned underground mine shafts dating back to the 1920s beneath the site, Ewen, a recognised West Coast mine historian, said.
The site remains on notice from Work Safe.
Ewen said the risk of the site's collapse onto the Tranz Alpine tourist train route and State Highway 7 had been well signalled - as seen in June 2022 when the train ran into a slip below the quarry access road.
"The risk is there. Furthermore, in 2018 it was highlighted it would effect the State highway and the Tranz Alpine. Well, in 2022 the train hit a slip there - under the bridge."
The Tranz Alpine hit a slip beneath the Kiwi Point rail overbridge in June 2022. That incident was relatively minor but, "heaven forbid we have a large slip and another train or vehicle gets caught", Ewen said.
"I'm pretty disappointed with (the report) actually because historically there has been front page stories on this site.
"There's quite a void there and to not have that included in a report is a deficiency I'm not prepared to accept.
Council ceased operating the quarry about 2020 after 45 years of extraction.
Since then part of the access road has been removed to deal with the slip risk onto the road and railway below.
"I've raised this before … the risk is sub-surface.
"The deficiency of not having that in those official reports is not right. I object to receiving these like this," Ewen said.
Ewen said "a big cavernous shaft" in the area escalated the risk yet council now had two reports which failed to appraise that.
Ewen has repeatedly raised the risk to council staff in public meetings in the past two years.
He said his concerns could be verified by historic mine maps and the issue was well known locally.
A staff report said the latest consultant study recommended "an extensive amount of work which will be costly".
Acting catchments manager Shanti Morgan said another "risk assessment" on the quarry's current status, as well as on the necessary work to make it safe, were recommended.
That would allow for cost estimates to formally decommission the site, Morgan said.
Council chief executive Darryl Lew said Ewen should be tapped by staff to ensure the consultant was fully informed, pending an expanded report.
Committee chairperson Frank Dooley said while the latest report was based on scope, "if that scope is deficient that that is another issue."
"What councillor Ewen is saying, that is an issue."
Councillor Peter Haddock agreed and said the quarry being above an historic mine was known, as was the risk from a local fault line nearby.
He also said the latest report effectively repeated the previous 2022 report.
Councillor Brett Cummings said the latest report did identify a rock knob above the quarry as something council had to deal with given it was a fall risk.
"Council didn't put it there - that seems unfair. That's going to be the dearest part, removing that natural feature."
Loading…
