Editorial: No rush to judgment on mining

We seem to be very good at saying no to things.

The latest example - protests are planned for the release of the findings of an aerial survey in Northland. Before the findings are even released.

The survey examined the region's suitability for mining.

The findings will be made public tomorrow. The same-day protest is based on, I suspect, the premise that all mining is evil, and therefore the findings are irrelevant.

The findings, by the way, are promising but inconclusive until further exploration is carried out. Whangarei MP and Minister of Mining Phil Heatley reckons it's potentially worth "hundreds of millions".

Mr Heatley says modern mining involves only a small incision in the earth's skin - keyhole mining, as it were. The days of open-cast mining are behind us, apparently.

The Government has also been working with iwi to identify areas that are tapu. It seems this has gone reasonably well, and there are still large tracts of land that could be mined in Northland.

So if the environmental disruption is minimal, why are we against this?

Northland has ridden a boom and bust economic cycle for decades, jobs ebbing and flowing with the financial tide.

An additional pillar holding up the regional economy must be welcomed.

Look at the exodus of labour - skilled and unskilled - to Australia's mines. Wouldn't we rather have that money and those people living and working in Northland?

If we tried to build the New Zealand Oil Refinery in Northland now, it would probably never get permission to be so close to Marsden Pt or One Tree Pt. But you'd like to think someone had the vision to see it had huge benefits, and that we'd build it somewhere in Northland. With mining, we have a similar opportunity, perhaps not on the same scale. I don't believe anyone should be denied an opportunity to protest. I do think, though, it's worth finding out what you're protesting about first.

Common sense would suggest that, and let's hope common sense prevails when it comes to decisions being made about mining in Northland, and the region's future.