Mining companies say protected conservation areas of zero interest

Mining companies say they have no interest in mining ecologically sensitive areas of the Coromandel Peninsula and do not believe there is pressure from the industry to enter national parks.

This week, conservation group Forest and Bird named two picturesque parts of the Coromandel - the 396ha Otahu Ecological Area and neighbouring 70ha Parakawai Geological Reserve, both near Whangamata - as areas the Government had been considering opening up to mining.

The Government has refused to confirm whether it is looking at the areas, but mining companies operating in the area told the Herald they had no plans to pursue mining in parts of the Coromandel protected by Schedule 4 of the Crown Minerals Act.

Schedule 4 bans mining in national parks and other outstanding conservation areas, but the Government has been considering lifting the protection from some places.

Linda Willoughby of Newmont mining corporation, which operates in Waihi, said the company had no interest in Otahu or Parakawai at the moment.

Nor did it have any plans to mine areas near Thames township that are at risk from flooding and storm damage. "They are totally off the radar," she said.

Peter Atkinson of mining company Heritage - the last mining company that was interested in mining in protected areas of the Coromandel before they were placed off limits in the 1990s - was not interested in anything north of the Kopu-Hikuai Rd, the so-called "green line" marking the beginning of protected Schedule 4 land.

"I don't know of anyone who is even looking at it," he said. "As for national parks, dream on," he said.

Conservationists were concerned about a threat to Thames township after Forest and Bird said a 2500ha area above Thames township was among the areas the Government was looking to open to mining.

The group this week named five sites which it said had been considered for mining but not approved by Cabinet.

In November, Energy Minister Gerry Brownlee said a proposal would be tabled in February of land that could be removed from legal protection from mining.

Public focus has been on mining in national parks but this week the Government said it was also looking at less sensitive land in Department of Conservation ownership.

Mr Atkinson said the industry was "sitting on the sidelines" and was bemused by the furore over mining. Like others in the industry, he wanted to see what was in the Government proposal, he said.

The alleged proposal to mine Great Barrier came under fire from the Environmental Defence Society yesterday. It said mining was banned in the Hauraki Gulf Islands under the Auckland District Plan so there would be no point lifting Schedule 4 protection.

If parts of the island were removed from Schedule 4, any mining company wanting to work in the area would need to persuade the council to change the rules using a private plan-change process. That process would be open to public submissions.

"That would meet with considerable opposition from thousands of Aucklanders," said EDS chairman Gary Taylor. Any decision to change the rules by the council could be appealed to the Environment Court.

"Whilst prospecting is not prohibited, it's hard to see any mining company being prepared to invest when the Resource Management Act hurdles would remain," said Mr Taylor.

HOT PROSPECTS
Forest and Bird says a 2500ha area above Thames township is among the areas the Government is looking to open to mining.

The alleged Government proposal would removed protection from:

* 700ha of the Te Ahumata plateau on Great Barrier Island (known as White Cliff).
* 2500ha near Thames township.
* Otahu Ecological Area and Parakawai Geological Reserve.
* A 3000ha slice of the Paparoa National Park - home to the famous Pancake Rocks - on the South Island's West Coast.