Resources Minister Shane Jones says there has been too much "woke hyperventilation" over a bid for gold exploration near Zealandia eco-sanctuary.
Resources Minister Shane Jones says there has been too much "woke hyperventilation" over a bid for gold exploration near Zealandia eco-sanctuary.
Resources Minister Shane Jones has hit out at what he described as a “woke” backlash to proposals for minerals exploration next to Wellington’s world-famous Zealandia.
The Herald reported last week that several applications have been filed for prospecting of gold and minerals in the Wellington hills, with one site beingconsidered directly bordering the ecosanctuary.
It prompted Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau to call for protest, saying it could spell a “catastrophic blow” to conservation efforts, as well as “harm our city’s thriving biodiversity, and roll back decades of hard-won progress”.
Wellington City Council also said it was urgently investigating “allegations of mining activity and major earthworks” in the area unauthorised.
“I don’t think it should be catastrophised, you’re always going to get an element that imagine the worst, but it’s good that we recover that part of our our societal DNA which is digging things up,” he told the Herald.
A young ruru sunning itself at Zealandia. Photo / Michael Szabo
Jones said he was not aware of the applicant’s plans for the site, but suggested it could be as low impact as “some bloke wandering around with a square mouth shovel and a pan”.
The majority of the permits have been applied for by members of the Watson family who own the land.
They would not comment when asked about their plans by the Herald.
Jones said the impacts of prospecting are equal to merely digging holes for tree planting or installing posts.
It is important to note that the permits are not for mining, but rather a range of other activities permitted under prospecting.
“Prospecting is the very first step in exploring for mineral deposits and typically involves activities of minimal impact,” MBIE said in a statement.
“These can include literature searches, geological mapping, hand sampling and/or aerial surveys.”
Asked if he would support higher impact works if the prospecting were successful in turning up precious minerals, Jones said people should not be surprised that he is pro-mining, “but any mining has to be within guard rails”, he said.
“The environmental impacts will only be dealt with once a big application is pursued, but if people are low impact fossicking around, I’d say to the nervous nellies in Wellington, don’t fret.”
One permit has already been approved, with a company named Quicksand LTD given the green light for mineral prospecting last month.
Other applications are still under consideration, including one for an operation named “Golden Hills 2.0” which was submitted at the end of June.
It totals more than 8sq km of land potentially up for searching for gold and other minerals.
Shane Jones holds gold. Photo / Facebook
“No one has started mining the Basin Reserve, we’re talking about private property in most cases and it’s miles from Lambton Quay”.
As for the proximity to Zealandia, Jones said it would be a “major consideration should anyone ever want to get serious about mining”.
“No one should imagine that the mining industry is going to start burrowing under Zealandia, this is the sort of woke hyperventilation that the matua doesn’t like,” he said.
Jones said he does not have regular oversight of the permit applications and wants MBIE to “either give an early ‘no’ or just get on with it and say ‘yes’.”
Ethan Manera is a Wellington-based journalist covering Wellington issues, local politics and business in the capital. He can be emailed at ethan.manera@nzme.co.nz.
