I have had many outraged constituents contact me over National’s plan to mine protected parts of our conservation estate, but one in particular stood out.
This open letter to Hon Gerry Brownlee from an East Auckland-based Green Party supporter was just one I have decided to share with Red Alert readers:
Mr Brownlee,
I heard you on the radio talking to Larry Williams two days ago about mining. I don’t want you to mine our country, I think that you underestimating the true value of these areas and it would be a crime to tear them apart. Stop letting your driving force be money, and you need to come up with some better arguments to justify this destructive activity.
In the interview you told Larry that all the people that don’t want mining to take place in New Zealand will own phones, computers, cars and a number of other commodities that require mining to take place to have. You were implying that they were all a bunch of hypocrites. Come on Gerry, that is the weakest argument I have heard. You embarrassed yourself, you had my attention until then. Having read your profile I found it was very interesting that you are a strong advocate for sport, I know it is a cheap shot, but tit for tat, you need to get outdoors more buddy.
Don’t be that man that knows the price of everything but values nothing! It’s not what New Zealand is about.
Name and address withheld
Fact: There is already mining on conservation land
As at September 2009 there were 82 mines already operating on conservation land.[1] Many permits were issued by the last Labour-led government.
Between 2000 and 2008 international tourist numbers to the country increased 37 per cent from 1,789,078 in 2000 to 2,447,208 in 2008.[2]
Fact: Mining in New Zealand is a $2 billion industry
2008 was a record year of production for New Zealand mining. The industry has been growing strongly in recent years, driven by global demand for our resources[3]
Fact: Mining is an important export industry for New Zealand
In 2009, mining brought in $1.1 billion worth of export receipts for New Zealand.[4]
Fact: Mining employs thousands of New Zealanders in high-paying, highly productive jobs
The mining sector, including oil and gas, directly employs about 6,000 people in New Zealand and thousands more indirectly.[5]
Jobs in the mining sector are highly productive. In the 2000-2005 period the mining sector (including oil and gas) returned an average $360,000 of GDP per full time employee, nearly six times the national average.[6]
Workers in the mining sector average an income of $60,000 per employee – over double the national average.[7]
Fact: Mining is far more productive than most other land-intensive applications
Mines in New Zealand use an extremely small amount of land (around 4,000 hectares), less than 0.015 per cent of our total land area.
The export value of that land is $175,000 per hectare. Dairy farming by comparison uses 2 million hectares of land with an export value of only $3,500 per hectare.[8]
Fact: Mining companies in New Zealand are New Zealand-owned as well as foreign owned
The largest mining company in New Zealand is Solid Energy, which as a state-owned enterprise is 100 per cent owned by the New Zealand taxpayer.
Between 2000 and 2009 Solid Energy made profits of $466 million and returned dividends to the Crown of $90 million.[9]
In fact NZX listed resources stocks have on average 57% local ownership compared to 43% offshore ownership.[10]
sweetd neatly skewers himself on the letter’s final two sentences.
As you say he is a green party supporter – did you really expect him to offer a balanced view?
At least he was identified as a green party supporter.
Sweetd, can you reference your cut and paste? I can see all the footnotes, but not one listed, and no authorship declared?
It’s okay, I found it. national Party website. “Now if we can just get gerry to read these damned things” thinks John Key.
http://www.national.org.nz/Article.aspx?ArticleID=32368
What about the costs to the environment?
Sud, when you see the source of the cut and paste you will see why impact on the environment was not focused on.
oops, sPud, didnt mean to infer you didn’t wash
LOL
I’m clean 
Tray 
Clever billboard Labour… problem is NACT will just repeat over and over and over that you opened new mines including one on DOC land (well four holes anyway)… facts wont matter.
The Government’s “Review” Has Greenlighted Mining.
Last year the National Government announced it would review Schedule 4 of the Crown Minerals Act. That might sound innocuous. But it’s the first step towards the devastation of our National Parks by commercial miners.
What is “Schedule 4″?
It’s a list of our greatest national treasures. It includes National Parks, marine reserves, and some of the most beautiful parts of New Zealand like Great Barrier Island and the Coromandel. It’s a list of all the places that most New Zealanders consider sacred – all places protected from mining – until now.
What’s Their Plan?
The review announced in August last year, suggested that we should review the list with a view to removing some of these protected areas from Schedule 4. This will leave them open to be mined. We all know it’s wrong. But the Government is ploughing on regardless.
Secret’s Out: 7,000 Hectares Likely To Be Mined. 400,000 Under Review.
This month the Government finally released details of where they plan to allow mining. These areas include 7000 hectares of high-value conservation land such as Te Ahumata plateau on Great Barrier Island, Otahu Ecological Area and Parakawai Geological Reserve near Whangamata, plus areas around Thames and Coromandel township.
As part of their stocktake, the Government will also survey 400,000 hectares of other prime conservation areas for mining potential. These include the Northland region, Paparoa Natonal Park, Stewart Island’s Rakiura National Park and nearly all the conservation land in the Coromandel Peninsula.
“Surgical Mining” Is A Ridiculous Claim.
The National Government claims that mining in these areas will be ’surgical.’ This just isn’t possible. The types of minerals being targeted in this review, such as gold on Great Barrier Island, are likely to require open cast mining and irreparable damage to some of our most treasured places.
We Must Unite Against The Review of Schedule 4.
Labour stands firm against the review of Schedule 4. We’re against the idea of mining in our national parks and conservation areas. As proud New Zealanders, we consider it our responsibility to look after our country for future generations. We know there’s money in mining. But our biggest treasure is far more precious than gold.
Mr Brownlee has issued a statement headed “Labour’s mining hypocrisy laid bare”.
In it he states – “Figures released by Crown Minerals [attached] show 218 permits were approved under a Labour government for mining inside Department of Conservation land between December 1999 and October 2008.
“The information shows Labour were happy for mining to take place on 21,961 hectares of land,…”
The Labour party was created in Blackball, on the West Coast, by miners. Is the Labour Party now the enemy of miners ? Along with the hilarious revelation today that Mr Goff’s electoral office is 350m from an enormous opencast quarry (Winstones), Labour comments look a little silly don’t you think.
Come on Labour Wake UP !
Labour is not against miners just against the carving up of precious land.
Spud – “Labour is not against miners just against the carving up of precious land”
Obviously, given it handed out 218 permits on conservation land between 1999 and 2008.
Labour is just against parties helping out the miners.
“Labour stands firm against the review of Schedule 4. We’re against the idea of mining in our national parks and conservation areas. As proud New Zealanders, we consider it our responsibility to look after our country for future generations. We know there’s money in mining. But our biggest treasure is far more precious than gold.” – Nil
Nil memory maybe
see above reply to spud
Could people please reference their cut and pastes – Nil’s is taken from the Labour Party website.
You see, now we hvae National’s view and Labour’s they can’t both be right, or can they. We will never get a chance as citizens when party posturing is substituted for genuine enlightenment or education.
@ At Spud 4:37pm
“It turns out Labour approved a permit in 2006 for mining gold, garnets and other gemstones on 168.5 hectares of land at Hart Creek, inside Paparoa National Park.
Figures released by Crown Minerals [ attached] show 218 permits were approved under a Labour government for mining inside Department of Conservation land between December 1999 and October 2008.
“The information shows Labour were happy for mining to take place on 21,961 hectares of land, meanwhile the government is seeking approval to release a mere 7,058 hectares of Schedule Four land, of which as little as 500 hectares might be mined,” Mr Brownlee said.
Comment?
You know what – mine all you like – just NOT in our most treasured places – for goodness sake – they are a taonga (treasure) and as such deserve to be protected. IT will be too late to bemoan the loss of flora, fauna and international reputation when its gone. Think long term for a moment – many countries are already land poor and ripping apart their own taonga – stripping away rain forests and allowing greedy corporates to steal resources. We will be an amazing resource for the rest of the world if we do not follow the same course of action – I have said before – if you want to mine, go ask iwi for land, or take it off the private owner. Plenty of that to go around.
As kiwis we all have a stake in the national parks – they belong to all of us, and I know that means that there will always be two sides of the debate -those for and those against. But I do ask that people stop and look at the long term here – we are smarter than that.
It really does worry me that we are turning into a greedy and selfish country -for someone who usually lets others fight the green battle, for once I am inspired enough to make a strong stand against areas of land that are this important (my goodness, some of its world heritage – what the heck are National thinking)being ruined and destroyed.
And if it can raise my bile then I can tell you now the govt has seriously underestimated joe and jody blog on the street. Bring it on and see your demise come next election. Enough is enough – the govt has ruined – or is in the process of ruining – what this country is most known for internationally (really good and innovative education, green etc) yet they have the arrogance (because of the polls) to think they can do what they like. Come on NZ – stop hiding under the sand and make some noise.
Where are the people who voted for Labour and the Greens?
It’s time for them to stand under the New Zealand Flag, as happened in Franklin recently, to protest the mining outrage but also any selfish and extreme action by a government (Auckland super city farce).
I note that those who would have voted for National and Act like Family First and Sensible Sentencing, religious institutions and women’s groups are very quiet on the issues of democratic theft and destruction of our country’s unique status. If these people don’t support other people’s protests how can they expect support with theirs?
It’s also time for those who voted for a white, rich, moneytrader only to discover – strangely enough – that he reverted to type to just stand up and publicly, not just privately to me, tell everyone that they made a mistake voting in this government and that they won’t be voting this government in again.
@Jum
Actually I support mining and voted national/act and I think JK is doing a good job and I’ll have no hesitation on voting him again (as of 26th March 2010)
OI! When will someone on this bloody blog answer the bloody question please?
It’s a very simple question and I want a very simple answer – did Labour after countering that they never allowed any mining on schedule 4 land in fact allow 168.5 hectares of land at Hart Creek, inside Paparoa National Park? Was this schedule 4 land and if it was what was the rational please?
Mark quoted Brownlee as saying
“The information shows Labour were happy for mining to take place on 21,961 hectares of land, meanwhile the government is seeking approval to release a mere 7,058 hectares of Schedule Four land”
So do you know if the “land” Labour allowed ot be used was Schedule four DOC land or non schedule 4 doc land. This is a crucial difference.
Chris Carter has already responded to this by saying Pike River had four 1.5m holes on it.