Major Cardrona expansion almost ready to open
It has been 10 years and tens of millions of dollars in the making, now Cardrona Alpine Resort is set to show off a whole new side of the mountain. Skiers, snowboarders and the resort's staff are rejoicing as the major expansion into Soho Basin is almost ready to ride. Otago Southland Reporter Katie Todd went up for a look.
To embed this content on your own webpage, cut and paste the following:
See terms of use.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Otago Daily Times
6 hours ago
- Otago Daily Times
Proposed Central Otago goldmine opponents ramp up campaign
By Katie Todd of RNZ Opponents of a proposed Central Otago goldmine have ramped up their campaign this week, with public meetings in Dunedin and Wānaka. Australian company Santana Minerals has signalled plans to seek a fast-track permit for a mine between Bendigo and Ophir, where it estimated it could extract gold worth $4.4 billion. Lobby group Sustainable Tarras Inc raised concerns about the mine's visibility on the landscape - particularly the inclusion of one large, 1000x850m open pit mine, three smaller satellite pits and a tailings dam. The group also expressed concerns about large quantities of cyanide being stored upstream of the Clutha River, and the potential impact the project would have on the region's tourism and viticulture. Chair Suze Keith said about 50 people turned up in Dunedin on Tuesday and more than 100 had registered for the meeting in Wānaka on Thursday night. Speakers included academics, environmental advocates and Labour Party MP for Dunedin Rachel Booking. Ms Keith said the idea of the meetings was "to make a bit of noise". "We don't think that a project of this scale and of its nature is well suited to fast-tracking decision-making," she said. "It might make the decisions come out quickly, but we've got 10 years of operation of this thing and then we've got the perpetual liability of a toxic tailings dam." Santana Minerals has held its own public drop-in sessions at Tarras and Cromwell to discuss the project, with two more planned in coming weeks. The company said the fast-track application aimed to accelerate decision-making, "but it did not override the requirements of the Resource Management Act or other applicable legislation". Keith said the process had fuelled concerns about limited public input. "People are really interested to understand where it is and what it comprises, because a goldmine is not just a mess of a open hole on the ground, it's got a whole lot of other moving parts to it," she said. "What are the implications for the immediate area and the wider area in terms of what it would mean if it does go ahead?" Santana Minerals said the proposed mine was expected to have low visibility, due to surrounding landforms, and environmental considerations were "central" to project planning. It said the processing plant would be located in the lower Shepherds Valley, "strategically sited to leverage natural topography, thereby minimising potential impacts from noise, light, dust, and visibility". Its tailings dam would be built to the highest safety standards, including resilience to a 1-in-10,000 year seismic event, it said, and the company described the work to support its consent application as "one of the most intensive and comprehensive studies ever conducted on the Dunstan Mountains". Several key ecological reports were still underway and the company planned to lodge its application "at the earliest opportunity".
Scoop
7 hours ago
- Scoop
Explainer: Why Has New Zealand Paused Funding To The Cook Islands Over China Deal?
Article – RNZ New Zealand has halted more than $18 million in development assistance to its realm country. But the island's prime minister said his government was 'aware' it was coming. Christina Persico, RNZ Pacific Caleb Fotheringham, RNZ Pacific , RNZ Pacific New Zealand has paused $18.2 million in development assistance funding to the Cook Islands after its government signed partnership agreements with China earlier this year. This move is causing consternation in the realm country, with one local political leader calling it 'a significant escalation' between Avarua and Wellington. A spokesperson for Peters said the Cook Islands did not consult with Aotearoa over the China deals and failed to ensure shared interests were not put at risk. On Thursday (Wednesday local time), Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown told parliament that his government knew the funding cut was coming. 'We have been aware that this core sector support would not be forthcoming in this budget because this had not been signed off by the New Zealand government in previous months, so it has not been included in the budget that we are debating this week,' he said. How the diplomatic stoush started A diplomatic row first kicked off in February between the two nations. Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown went on an official visit to China, where he signed a 'comprehensive strategic partnership' agreement. The agreements focus in areas of economy, infrastructure and maritime cooperation and seabed mineral development, among others. They do not include security or defence. However, to New Zealand's annoyance, Brown did not discuss the details with it first. Prior to signing, Brown said he was aware of the strong interest in the outcomes of his visit to China. Afterwards, a spokesperson for Peters released a statement saying New Zealand would consider the agreements closely, in light of the countries' mutual constitutional responsibilities. The Cook Islands-New Zealand relationship Cook Islands is in free association with New Zealand. The country governs its own affairs, but New Zealand provides assistance with foreign affairs (upon request), disaster relief and defence. Cook Islanders also hold New Zealand passports entitling them to live and work there. In 2001, New Zealand and the Cook Islands signed a joint centenary declaration, which required the two to 'consult regularly on defence and security issues'. The Cook Islands did not think it needed to consult with New Zealand on the China agreement. Peters said there is an expectation that the government of the Cook Islands would not pursue policies that were 'significantly at variance with New Zealand's interests'. Later in February, the Cooks confirmed it had struck a five-year agreement with China to cooperate in exploring and researching seabed mineral riches. A spokesperson for Peters said at the time said the New Zealand government noted the mining agreements and would analyse them. How New Zealand reacted On Thursday morning, Peters said the Cook Islands hadn't lived up to the 2001 declaration. Peters said the Cook Islands had failed to give satisfactory answers to New Zealand's questions about the arrangement. 'We have made it very clear in our response to statements that were being made – which we do not think laid out the facts and truth behind this matter – of what New Zealand's position is,' he said. 'We've got responsibilities ourselves here. And we wanted to make sure that we didn't put a step wrong in our commitment and our special arrangement which goes back decades.' Officials would be working through what the Cook Islands had to do so New Zealand was satisfied the funding could resume. He said New Zealand's message was conveyed to the Cook Islands government 'in its finality' on 4 June. 'When we made this decision, we said to them our senior officials need to work on clearing up this misunderstanding and confusion about our arrangements and about our relationship.' Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is in China this week. Asked about the timing of Luxon's visit to China, and what he thought the response from China might be, Peters said the decision to pause the funding was not connected to China. He said he had raised the matter with his China counterpart Wang Yi, when he last visited China in February, and Wang understood New Zealand's relationship with the Cook Islands. Concerns in the Cook Islands Over the past three years, New Zealand has provided nearly $194.6 million (approximately US$117m) to the Cook Islands through the development programme. Cook Islands opposition leader Tina Browne said she was deeply concerned about the pause. Browne said she was informed of the funding pause on Wednesday night, and she was worried about the indication from Peters that it might affect future funding. She issued a 'please explain' to Mark Brown: 'The prime minister has been leading the country to think that everything with New Zealand has been repaired, hunky dory, etcetera – trust is still there,' she said. 'Wham-bam, we get this in the Cook Islands News this morning. What does that tell you?' Will NZ's action 'be a very good news story' for Beijing? Massey University's defence and security expert Anna Powles told RNZ Pacific that aid should not be on the table in debate between New Zealand and the Cook Islands. 'That spirit of the [2001] declaration is really in question here,' she said. 'The negotiation between the two countries needs to take aid as a bargaining chip off the table for it to be able to continue – for it to be successful.' Powles said New Zealand's moves might help China strengthen its hand in the Pacific. She said China could contrast its position on using aid as a bargaining chip. 'By Beijing being able to tell its partners in the region, 'we would never do that, and certainly we would never seek to leverage our relationships in this way'. This could be a very good news story for China, and it certainly puts New Zealand in a weaker position, as a consequence.' However, a prominent Cook Islands lawyer said it was fair that New Zealand is pressing pause. Norman George said Brown should implore New Zealand for forgiveness. 'It is absolutely a fair thing to do because our prime minister betrayed New Zealand and let the government and people of New Zealand down.'
RNZ News
7 hours ago
- RNZ News
Funding to Cook Islands on pause after partnership agreement
Nearly 20 million dollars in development assistance to the Cook Islands is on pause as New Zealand reacts to its Pacific neighbour's ever-closer ties with China. Wellington claims it was not consulted before the Cook Islands signed a partnership agreement with China in February, an alleged breach of the Cooks' committments to this country. The funding freeze was revealed in a front page splash in the Cook Island News, awkward timing for New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon as he prepares to meet with China's President Xi Jinping. Caleb Fotheringham has more. To embed this content on your own webpage, cut and paste the following: See terms of use.
