Latest news with #KāRūnaka
Otago Daily Times
27-05-2025
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
A moth in the night
Of all the sounds of the night, few are as irritating as a moth bouncing and lumbering around a bedroom as it tries to find a chink of light in the darkness. In its increasingly frantic flutterings to escape, it rebounds off the walls and ceiling and, horror of horrors, slaps you in the face or buzzes by your ear. Not once, but several times. Elsewhere, Minister for Resources Shane Jones is also having a sleepless night. He's dreaming of giant snails, Freddie the frog and a host of protected birds holding up his latest big infrastructure project. No darn creepy-crawly is going to stop my work from going ahead, he thinks. Mining and oil and gas developments are far too important for that. But things are about to get worse for Mr Jones and his drive for success. Enter a humble moth, the lyrically named Orocrambus sophistes . Not the same one blundering about above, but a relative nonetheless. This rare and "nationally vulnerable" native moth has taken a nibble out of OceanaGold's Macraes mine plans with its recent discovery at Golden Bar, one of the three open pits the company wants to expand. For the minister, this is the stuff of nightmares. Just last week, Mr Jones was busy doing what he does best — acting as a provocateur in the House. On Budget day he showed off a small bottle of what he said was "Maui" oil and daring Green Party MPs to sniff it. His braggadocio was founded on the announcement of $200 million set aside in the Budget to give the government the opportunity to buy a stake in new gas fields offshore. Mr Jones also boasted that sum was potentially just the beginning, with a "tentative" agreement from acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop that more money could be made available. Just a few days later, however, Mr Jones' bubble of hubris was popped by the news that the endangered moth, which lives in short tussock grasslands across parts of inland Otago and Canterbury, has become something of a fly in the ointment at Macraes. The mining company has asked independent hearings commissioners if they can put its Golden Bar expansion proposal to one side, pending the outcome of an environmental report on the potential effects of the project on the moth. In a memorandum to the commissioners, OceanaGold listed that the Department of Conservation, Forest & Bird, and Kāti Huirapa Rūnaka ki Puketeraki, Te Rūnanga o Moeraki and Te Rūnaka o Otākou (collectively Kā Rūnaka) had all highlighted possible effects on biodiversity values from the expansion going ahead. There was also a cultural impact assessment from Kā Rūnaka which highlighted concerns of how expanding Golden Bar might affect the moth, which had been found there at least once in recent times. The company's submission to the commissioners that it reserved the right not to proceed with the Golden Bar part of the plan appears to have flummoxed them somewhat. Commissioner Rob van Voorthuysen called it an "unusual proposition" not to have all the relevant reports and evidence on the table before the hearing. However, the commissioners appear prepared to follow a different process, though cautioned it could lead to delays in the start of the hearing, planned for July. It's worth remembering that this government recently amended, under urgency, the Wildlife Act to give the director-general of conservation the power to let companies remove native and endangered animals if they get in the way of major infrastructural projects. In light of this worrisome move, it seems to us OceanaGold is going about this carefully and sensitively, putting the rare moth ahead of its expanding footprint. What remains to be seen is how large or spread out the moth colony is, and whether its advised size might make any difference to the way the company pursues its Golden Bar plans. In the meantime, it is good to see that not everyone appears to have the same arrogance and indifference to the environment, and to the flora and fauna which makes New Zealand unique, as Mr Jones does.
NZ Herald
26-05-2025
- Business
- NZ Herald
OceanaGold Otago mine expansion plans potentially derailed by rare native moth
The group argued the expansion would violate key statutory frameworks, including the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity (NPS-IB), the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management and the Resource Management Act. 'The reliance on offsetting and compensation is not appropriate in the case of effects on the threatened moth species Orocrambus sophistes,' the submission reads. 'The moth species is threatened, therefore, biodiversity compensation is not appropriate under the NPS-IB and the activity itself should be avoided.' In response, OceanaGold announced via legal memorandum on May 21 that it now 'proposes to no longer pursue the Golden Bar element as part of the Macraes Phase 4 Project'. The company said it made this decision after receiving submissions and a Cultural Impact Assessment (CIA) from Kā Rūnaka. The CIA and the Department of Conservation both raised alarms over the project's impact on biodiversity, particularly the moth. Counsel for OceanaGold, Pip Walker, said some of the potential biodiversity impacts of the project could be avoided by removing the Golden Bar element from the scope of MP4. Yet the company has not formally withdrawn that part of the project. Instead, it has reserved the right to change its stance depending on how the council reports and hearings unfold. 'OGNZL [OceanaGold] reserves its position not to pursue Golden Bar at the hearing based in part on the outcome of the section 42A report,' the memorandum says. Forest & Bird also warned of serious impacts on wetlands, indigenous birds including the New Zealand falcon and pipit, and lizard populations potentially in the 'high thousands'. In response to questions from the Herald, OceanaGold senior vice-president, legal and public affairs Alison Paul said any decisions on proposed amendments to address any identified issues will be made after the councils release its full decision in June. 'The Cultural Impacts Assessment and public submissions which closed earlier this month are expected to inform that report and include a particular focus on Golden Bar, which is just one element of a much larger project,' Paul said. 'It is not unusual for an applicant to respond to the technical assessments, council reports and public submissions as part of the resource consenting process.'
Otago Daily Times
25-05-2025
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
Discovery of rare moth may thwart mine expansion plans
A rare native moth may have scuppered part of OceanaGold's Macraes mine expansion plans. The "nationally vulnerable" moth Orocrambus sophistes , which lives in short tussock grasslands, has been found at Golden Bar, one of three open pits about 55km north of Dunedin that OceanaGold has applied to expand. The mining company has asked to wait for the conclusions of a forthcoming report on the expected adverse environmental effects of its proposed Golden Bar expansion before deciding whether to proceed with it. It is a position independent commissioner Rob van Voorthuysen called an "unusual proposition" and one he warned the company could result in a delay of the hearings scheduled to start in July. This was a risk the company "seems to be willing to take", he said in a second minute issued ahead of hearings. The company wanted section 42A reports by the Otago Regional Council, Waitaki District Council and Dunedin City Council due on June 9 to assess the full slate of extensions proposed — at the Innes Mills, Coronation and Golden Bar open pits, and second stage tailings disposal in the Frasers storage facility. However, the company submitted it reserved the right not to pursue Golden Bar at the hearing based in part on the outcome of the reports, Mr van Voorthuysen said on behalf of the commissioners. "We find this to be an unusual proposition. "It is our experience and preference that section 42A reports and an applicant's evidence circulated prior to a hearing address the actual proposal for which consent will be sought. "Nevertheless, we acknowledge [OceanaGold's] advice that they may wish to follow a different process." OceanaGold was unable to respond to Otago Daily Times questions yesterday, but a memorandum on behalf of the company noted the Department of Conservation, Forest & Bird and Kāti Huirapa Rūnaka ki Puketeraki, Te Rūnanga o Moeraki, and Te Rūnaka o Ōtākou (collectively Kā Rūnaka) all addressed potential effects on biodiversity values in their submissions. "Kā Rūnaka also provided a cultural impact assessment (CIA) on May 1 which, among other things, identified concerns with potential effects on Orocrambus sophistes , a moth which the invertebrate report ... noted as having one recorded finding within the Golden Bar footprint," the company's counsel Pip Walker said. "The same issue had also been identified in the ORC's notification report, which classed the presence of the moth as 'a fundamental issue' with the express direction that: 'the applicant should give further consideration to these matters'." With the submissions and cultural impact assessment in mind, the company determined some of the potential biodiversity effects of the overall expansion plans could be avoided by removing the Golden Bar element, Ms Walker said. A "heads up" was given to the three councils and Kā Rūnaka last week. "ORC's planner initially suggested that it was too late to exclude Golden Bar from the section 42A report, and [OceanaGold] made further inquiries about this on May 16. "ORC's planner said it would seek legal advice on this and raise this with the commissioners. "[OceanaGold] had anticipated it would be included in any such communication with the commissioners, but it was not." The Golden Bar area was "spatially separated" from the main part of the Macraes mine and situated about 10km south of the processing plant. In the company's view and that of its consultants, the Golden Bar plans could be "readily severed from the remainder of the project without requiring amended technical reports to be supplied".
Otago Daily Times
05-05-2025
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
Local Māori oppose expansion of NZ's largest gold mine
Oceana Gold's Macraes mine showing the underground pit, front left, processing plant, front right, and open cast pit right rear. PHOTO: STEPHEN JAQUIERY Local Māori have opposed the expansion of New Zealand's largest gold mine, north of Dunedin, saying not enough is known about its long-term or cumulative effects on the environment. Kāti Huirapa Rūnaka ki Puketeraki, Te Rūnanga o Moeraki, and Te Rūnaka o Ōtākou — submitting as Kā Rūnaka — said OceanaGold's application to expand its Macraes Gold Mine did not adequately address "the magnitude, severity and ongoing impact" of the effects arising from their plans. "Furthermore, the conclusions contained in the application regarding the effects arising from the application have been reached without an assessment of the cultural impacts of the project endorsed by Kā Rūnaka," the submission said. "It is not possible for the applicant to conclude that the effects are of an acceptable level without cultural input into their assessment." OceanaGold applied to the Otago Regional Council, Waitaki District Council and Dunedin City Council for consent for the site-wide expansion of mining activities at Macraes, requesting public notification. Seven submissions were published on the regional council website yesterday. A hearing is set down for July. Kā Rūnaka's counsel said the mining company's application lacked detailed information on the proposed expansion's effect on a range of matters including the mine's cumulative effects on water quality, the provision for appropriate and meaningful management of long-term environmental effects and the ongoing and long-term nature of its effects. Questions remained about the expansion's cultural effects, its land restoration requirements, and its economic impact on Kā Rūnaka. More needed to be known about the "durability and sustainability" of the offsets and mitigation measures proposed, the submission said. The applications also lacked a "credible long-term environmental management plan". "Kā Rūnaka has little choice but to oppose the consents sought." Forest & Bird also opposed the application and said the proposed expansion would result in significant adverse effects on indigenous plants, animal habitat, wetlands and freshwater ecosystems. The environmental organisation called upon the regional council to decline the application in full. Or, if the council was of a mind to approve the application, to include "significant changes to effects management, mitigation and compensation" to account for the significant effects on indigenous species and habitats. Otago Fish & Game also called for consideration of the long-term effects of the mine. "Fish & Game submits that the decision-maker should be very certain that there is an extremely robust mechanism to ensure any proposed rehabilitation work — including future adaptive management actions which are not now currently known — will actually be undertaken. "With that said, Fish & Game is not clear exactly how this could be achieved on a project which spans hundreds of years and into perpetuity, affecting countless future generations." "In the face of such dramatic uncertainty, it may be that adopting the precautionary principle would be a helpful place to begin," Otago Fish & Game said. Fire and Emergency NZ submitted a neutral submission but called for assurances there would be an adequate water supply available for firefighting activities as well as emergency vehicle access. The Department of Conservation noted the application was missing an ecological enhancement area management plan as well as the cultural impact assessment. "This means that at the time of lodging this submission there can be no certainty that the combination of conditions and management plans will be able to adequately address effects on the environment," the department's submission said. One neighbour opposed the expansion, citing concerns about noise, air, water and light pollution. Another raised concerns about what he described as historic consent breaches. OceanaGold has been approached for comment.
Otago Daily Times
05-05-2025
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
Iwis oppose expansion of NZ's largest gold mine
Oceana Gold's Macraes mine showing the underground pit, front left, processing plant, front right, and open cast pit right rear. PHOTO: STEPHEN JAQUIERY Local Māori have opposed the expansion of New Zealand's largest gold mine, north of Dunedin, saying not enough is known about its long-term or cumulative effects on the environment. Kāti Huirapa Rūnaka ki Puketeraki, Te Rūnanga o Moeraki, and Te Rūnaka o Ōtākou — submitting as Kā Rūnaka — said OceanaGold's application to expand its Macraes Gold Mine did not adequately address "the magnitude, severity and ongoing impact" of the effects arising from their plans. "Furthermore, the conclusions contained in the application regarding the effects arising from the application have been reached without an assessment of the cultural impacts of the project endorsed by Kā Rūnaka," the submission said. "It is not possible for the applicant to conclude that the effects are of an acceptable level without cultural input into their assessment." OceanaGold applied to the Otago Regional Council, Waitaki District Council and Dunedin City Council for consent for the site-wide expansion of mining activities at Macraes, requesting public notification. Seven submissions were published on the regional council website yesterday. A hearing is set down for July. Kā Rūnaka's counsel said the mining company's application lacked detailed information on the proposed expansion's effect on a range of matters including the mine's cumulative effects on water quality, the provision for appropriate and meaningful management of long-term environmental effects and the ongoing and long-term nature of its effects. Questions remained about the expansion's cultural effects, its land restoration requirements, and its economic impact on Kā Rūnaka. More needed to be known about the "durability and sustainability" of the offsets and mitigation measures proposed, the submission said. The applications also lacked a "credible long-term environmental management plan". "Kā Rūnaka has little choice but to oppose the consents sought." Forest & Bird also opposed the application and said the proposed expansion would result in significant adverse effects on indigenous plants, animal habitat, wetlands and freshwater ecosystems. The environmental organisation called upon the regional council to decline the application in full. Or, if the council was of a mind to approve the application, to include "significant changes to effects management, mitigation and compensation" to account for the significant effects on indigenous species and habitats. Otago Fish & Game also called for consideration of the long-term effects of the mine. "Fish & Game submits that the decision-maker should be very certain that there is an extremely robust mechanism to ensure any proposed rehabilitation work — including future adaptive management actions which are not now currently known — will actually be undertaken. "With that said, Fish & Game is not clear exactly how this could be achieved on a project which spans hundreds of years and into perpetuity, affecting countless future generations." "In the face of such dramatic uncertainty, it may be that adopting the precautionary principle would be a helpful place to begin," Otago Fish & Game said. Fire and Emergency NZ submitted a neutral submission but called for assurances there would be an adequate water supply available for firefighting activities as well as emergency vehicle access. The Department of Conservation noted the application was missing an ecological enhancement area management plan as well as the cultural impact assessment. "This means that at the time of lodging this submission there can be no certainty that the combination of conditions and management plans will be able to adequately address effects on the environment," the department's submission said. One neighbour opposed the expansion, citing concerns about noise, air, water and light pollution. Another raised concerns about what he described as historic consent breaches. OceanaGold has been approached for comment.
