The Green Party supports protest action today at a mining company drill site on public conservation land at Karangahake.
The protest started at 1PM today and is aiming to protect conservation land with high recreational values and a recovering forest ecosystem. Gold mining company New Talisman have a consent to drill and take bulk samples out of the area.
“Karangahake is a much loved forested area for walking and cycling. It should not be mined,” said Green Party MP Catherine Delahunty who lives in Coromandel.
“’Bulk sampling’ is mining by stealth and should not be allowed in a conservation park in this day and age.
“The Hauraki District Council and the Department of Conservation (DOC) have failed to protect the area, therefore the public has to act.
“We support the peaceful actions of local people and the Coromandel Watchdog of Hauraki to stop the drilling and bulk sampling on public conservation land,” said Ms Delahunty.
New health and safety rules have given the mining industry more power to lock people out of parts of the conservation land which Ms Delahunty says is very concerning.
"It is neither healthy or safe to allow mining to proceed on conservation land,” said Ms Delahunty.
Karangahake is not protected by Schedule 4 of the Crown Minerals Act as is the rest of the DOC land further north on the Coromandel north from the Kopu /Hikuai highway.
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