Plans to prospect for oil and coal in the Bay provoke mixed responses
Farewell Spit Nature Reserve. The Greens’ off-shore oil spokesperson, David Clendon, said: “We must not sacrifice the high conservation and tourism values of the beautiful Golden Bay region for a one-off royalty hit. Photo: Golden Bay Promotions webs
Sydney-based company Greywolf Goldmining should prepare itself for a battle. The company plans to prospect for oil in up to 11,500 square kilometres of seabed off the northwest coast of the South Island. Greywolf has also applied for exploration permits to search for coal near Puponga and Collingwood.
Greywolf’s chief executive Edward Lancaster was quoted on the Stuff website as saying that the company hoped to start explorations and eventual mining operations once approval was granted from Crown Minerals – and if its Chinese partners considered it worthwhile. Reactions so far from iwi and conservation groups indicate that there is serious opposition to the plans while supporters point to the potential for economic growth.
The law requires that iwi must be consulted before any permits are granted – whether they are for prospecting, exploration or mining. The general public does not have to be consulted, so Manawhenua ki Mohua spokesman John Ward-Holmes was especially keen to let the public know.
“Iwi are totally opposed to any exploration or drilling of the seabed for oil on cultural and environmental grounds. Everyone is alarmed about it. We don’t want this and we want to let people know what’s in the pipeline.”
Forest & Bird Conservation advocate Quentin Duthie said that “These new applications threaten a repeat of the community backlash and damage to our economy.
“New Zealanders have said that mining national parks is “just not OK”, but here we are again. The Government’s continued promotion of mining and drilling has encouraged a foreign mining company to look for fossil fuels in our pristine natural areas.”
The oil exploration permit application area includes the shoreline of Abel Tasman and Kahurangi National Parks, Farewell Spit Nature Reserve, and the Westhaven and Tonga Island marine reserves. Mining is prohibited in all of these areas by Schedule 4 of the Crown Minerals Act, although some parts of the large areas being applied for fall outside the schedule’s protection.
“An oil spill off this coastline would have a disastrous effect on these pristine natural areas,” said Forest & Bird Top of the South field officer Debs Martin.
“In 2006 the community and iwi fought off a company intent on mining the seabed of Golden Bay. We’ll fight this company off too,” she said.
“The local economy is dependent on the tourism attracted by places like Farewell Spit, the Heaphy Track and Kahurangi National Park, and the local fishing and aquaculture industries depend on a clean ocean. Oil and coal mining threaten all that.”
Nelson Regional Economic Development Agency development manager Liz Hegarty said that “The EDA supports prospecting and investigations, but any more concrete extraction applications would need to be very carefully considered, to weigh up the potential long term effects and risks against the expected economic benefits. The prospecting stage is a means of adding to the store of knowledge that we need for making informed decisions.
West Coast Tasman MP Chris Auchinvole said: “I cannot comment on the specific proposal without seeing the application but I encourage people to have confidence in the processes which are in place to safeguard the environment and the public interest.
“Golden Bay has a rich mining heritage and I know many residents are proud of that heritage and the economic gains generated by it. I have always been a strong advocate for environmentally sound mining and oil exploration and the regional growth and increased employment these contribute to.”
Labour List MP Damien O’Connor said: “I have some serious reservations about the proposal given the lax and lenient way the National government has been dealing with these exploration companies. Nothing should happen unless we have some very firm safeguards to protect the environment.”
Green Party list MP Kevin Hague said that the local outdoor tourism industry could be threatened by mining and drilling for fossil fuels.
The Greens’ off-shore oil spokesperson, David Clendon, said: “We must not sacrifice the high conservation and tourism values of the beautiful Golden Bay region for a one-off royalty hit.
“We can’t achieve a clean, green economy with high-value jobs if we continually open our precious lands and waters to exploitation by foreign mining giants.”
Neil Wilson
