An Australian mining company has been given Department of Conservation permission to enter public land at Puhipuhi and Russell State Forest for early-stage minerals exploration.
De Grey Mining applied to DoC's Whangarei area office on February 26 to access five sites for "minimum impact" activities, which include sampling and surveying using hand-held methods only. The area office manager granted permission on March 18.
The move has alarmed conservation groups and local people who say mining would involve toxic practices. All five sites in the application are part of complex water catchments that drain into Bay of Islands, Whangaruru Harbour, the Helena Bay area, Hikurangi swamp, Northern Wairoa river system and Kaipara Harbour.
Concerns had also been raised that De Grey wanted access land subject to unsettled Maori land claims before the Waitangi Tribunal, said Dean Baigent-Mercer, chairman of Far North Forest and Bird.
"It's inappropriate for mining companies to be on conservation land at all," he said.