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7:00 pm, June 8th, 2026 - 12 comments
Categories: Environment, Mining -
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Over 50 citizens took up the invitation today by Sustainable Tarras to walk over the valley that will be obliterated by the proposed Santana gold mine currently going through the Fast Track hearings process.
It was wintery brisk but could have been worse.
Big shoutout to Labour MP Damien O’Connor for taking the time to be there and engage properly.
He is on record opposing this governments’ Fast Track legislation and this mine.
So are the Greens.
Santana are not waiting, and are building the haul road and utilities into the site already.
What is currently one of those extreme Otago environments with super-dry hot summers and snow and ice in winter, home to thousands of skinks and gecko, will be turned into a landscape the scale of Macrae’s mine in eastern Otago.
To facilitate the Macare’s Oceania mine, they have shifted the entire state highway so that it could be milled out, and when you drive down it, the mountain ranges you see are actually the most stupendous tailing dumps.
The dust you see swirling in the image is real and it is laced with toxins. The tailings dam contains highly toxic levels of arsenic. The same will be repeated in the Tarras-Bendigo mine.
The decision about the Santana mine is due out in October this year.
If it is successful it will be a powerful precedent to crack open the whole of the central Otago landscape from Tarras through to Dunedin with more large scale open cast mining.
For the record I am not against mining if it goes through a proper resource consent and is tunnelled not open cast.
I’m aware that Labour was built in no small part by miners.
But this Santana mine is just utterly disastrous.
Thanks for that post Ad – another example of the CoC selling off
AotearoaNew Zealand Aotearoa for parts? Never fear Kiwis, our precious wealthy and sorted masters will be safe from the toxic fallout of this and other extractive 'operations.'Damn green banshees & demonic eggbeaters – toxins smoxins, you can't eat biodiversity.
A(t)las, the fix is in.
Drowsy mK – I think that the bearded guy is right. It is only finding a bunch of gold or assets that bring them inner peace. There is actually a worm eating at their innards that should be treated but it's a hidden cancer. Thanks for the great apt cartoons.
I liked this book cover – Dilbert showing the way to Unattended Piles of Money. https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/006052149X
Your comment reminded me of Glenn Frey's song "I've Got Mine" in which he sings about the moral malnutrition of rich people.: https://genius.com/Glenn-frey-ive-got-mine-lyrics
Worth a listen.
The timing of this process is going to be interesting. It's supposed to finish just before the election if all goes to plan.
Unfortunately there's a few gaps in the applicants information and I'd say a late October decision might be optimistic. Santana got sent off to come up with reports on groundwater flow and behaviour last month and the convenor was pretty stern, asking how their application compared with Trans Tasman Resources withdrawn sand mining application.
Santana have to come up with the information by 22/6, but groundwater studies can take years. Will be keeping an eye out.
The Fast Track Panel's letter to Santana covers it with more precision and is notable for the Te Reo greeting, think they are taking the piss here as Santana basically told Ngai Tahu to fuck off earlier in the process and are now having to try and sort something out.
One of the features of the Fast Track process is that it's all good if the application is complete, preferably more than complete, and without major obstacles. If it's not then the applicant has to come up with information very fast. Lawyers and consultants are producing reports that would have taken months or year under an RMA process in weeks. This time frame is rather lucrative for the professionals involved and eye watering for the applicant.
I wouldn't be surprised if this application isn't withdrawn in a huge hissy fit sometime between now and 29 October.
In times past a northern Maori coming to the southern island to assist foreign capitalists and leave a mess behind (knowing they will not be around to he held accountable for it themselves) would have received a name Kaikaiwaiū
https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/new-zealand-entering-resources-golden-era
By Grahams post above just because it's fast doesn't seem to mean it isn't stringent,
"Stringent?
How long before the "Fast track" committee follows the example set with the Teachers council elected members, forced resignations for doing their job.
There’s no fast-track ‘committee’ as such. There’re a convener and two associate conveners appointed by the Minister and they appoint expert panels.
Also sad is the loss of broader protest culture. The locals are doing an admirable job, where are the other Otago or South Island activist groups?
Fast Track legislation actively shuts them out.
Given the aggression with which the company three weeks ago accused Ngai Tahu of seeking $180 million as essentially a payoff and putting that into a full Otago Daily Times headline, and then walking that accusation back last week without apology, you can see that these guys play for keeps and will quite happily shame you into submission.
Also there are active threats online against protesters from proponents.
This is not a contest for the fainthearted.
https://sustainabletarras.com/
The link below was towards the end of Ad's post – just re-posting for publicity.
Yep, I follow sustaintarras on SM. (insta)
They are truly admirable in the fight they are putting up, and deserve all the support they can get. Currently linking to a livestream for the hearing, – today is about heritage.