Mr Heatley told how he was from Onerahi, in Whangarei, and grew up 20km from the New Zealand Refining Company, which he said had been taking out a tanker full of oil a week for 50 years and nobody had noticed.
"They have done that on a beautiful coastline. On that coastline I collect pipi, I see orca, I see dolphins, I catch snapper and tarakihi and kingfish and lots of other stuff, all legally of course. ... Not a glimmer of worry from residents ..."
Mining could provide a badly needed step-change in the Northland economy to create jobs, he said.
Mr Heatley said the data gave Northland an edge over other regions, none of which had such comprehensive information.
Although mining had commanded much of the attention, the data would be useful for determining soil types for farming, horticulture and viticulture, identifying unstable land, planning roads and buildings, and finding aquifers and geothermal energy sources, he said.
A 2007 GNS report said Northland's mineral production of $58 million a year could be lifted to $354 million, and put the region's total gold deposits at more than $1.5 billion.
Thanks to mining, New Zealand's best-paying jobs were now in Buller, not Wellington, Mr Brown said.
He said the initiative was about "jobs, jobs, jobs".
There were 6500 unemployed in Northland and 64 per cent of them were Maori. The median household income last year was $19,200. "Mining offers a step-change in GDP that others [industries] can't deliver."
Already 400,000 Kiwis, including 125,000 Maori, lived in Australia and that exodus was only likely to speed up, he said.
Green MP and mining spokesperson Catherine Delahunty was unconvinced, saying the exodus to Australia had to be stopped but the best way of doing that was by focusing on what Northland did best, which was horticulture, farming, aquaculture and organics.
"That will last through good times and bad. Mining is boom and bust," she said.
She said this was not about local citizens but about "foreign mining companies ripping off the north, so it's a sad day for Northland".
Protesters - a range of greenies and local Maori and Pakeha - are concerned about the toxicity created from mining.
Tim Howard, from Minewatch Northland, said mining was being presented by politicians as a silver bullet. "But we don't want jobs at any cost, and toxic jobs are not the solution."
EXPLORATION
* Earlier reports have identified the likelihood of gold, silver, and copper deposits in Northland.
* An aerial survey was conducted last year to provide further information.
* Mining companies will analyse the results then decide whether to bid for exploration licences.
- NZ Herald and Northern Advocate
