Mining

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Not even miners will dig Gerry out

Written By: - Date published: 2:42 pm, May 4th, 2010 - 25 comments

When you’re that far on the backfoot, it’s not hard to teeter further. The CTU has today come out against the Government’s mining plans; a position even Brownlee admits is “a bit of a surprise” given the union’s membership includes miners. What’s the score now? I say time for a quick tally. We’ve got the […]

My cellphone isn’t made of gold

Written By: - Date published: 9:59 am, May 4th, 2010 - 7 comments

The Nats and miners have this weird freeloader argument. ‘Those protesters are hypocrites. Their cell phones and ipods and cars all use mined products. They should support us mining’. They won’t be mining needed industrial minerals. But what’s under Paparoa? Dirty coal. What’s under Coromandel and Barrier? Gold. which is nearly all used for jewellery and ‘investment’.

Not a time for mixed messages

Written By: - Date published: 1:34 pm, May 3rd, 2010 - 26 comments

This is not a time for mixed messages. Phil Goff is quoted today as saying: “They [the Government] have got to back down from both Great Barrier Island and the Coromandel”. No! Labour’s position, and the position of the biggest single protest march since 1938, is no mining in any Schedule 4 land! Don’t dilute the message…

Why the miners are so keen on public land

Written By: - Date published: 10:19 am, May 3rd, 2010 - 36 comments

Most of this country’s mineral wealth lies under private land, according to the government’s own figures. So, why are the Nats so determined to override public opinion and let their mining allies dig up our precious protected lands? Simple: mining on private land means paying a lease to the owner. Mining on public land is cheaper: we’re played like chumps for bigger profits.

Massive public outrage in North & South

Written By: - Date published: 1:57 pm, May 1st, 2010 - 124 comments

Wow! An incredible 50,000 people have turned out in Auckland this May Day to protest the Government’s plan to open protected land to mining. I can’t think of another demonstration in New Zealand on this scale. If this isn’t the final nail in the coffin of the mining plan, then the Key Government has a serious death wish.

Armstrong: Brownlee’s big idea turning to custard

Written By: - Date published: 8:54 am, May 1st, 2010 - 18 comments

Herald chief political commentator John Armstrong writes “Gerry Brownlee’s search for El Dorado in this country’s supposedly mineral-ridden national parks has so far been more akin to King Midas in reverse. The only gold to be seen is the colour of the custard to which the whole exercise has rapidly been turning.”

Don’t undermine NZ – march today!

Written By: - Date published: 6:30 am, May 1st, 2010 - 27 comments

Today, May the first, is the day to march for NZ. Very literally, for the hills and mountains, the bush and the wildlife, for the sustainable future, and the clean green image of our country. March to oppose mining in the most precious regions of our National Parks

Nats tie themselves in knots over mining

Written By: - Date published: 8:43 am, April 29th, 2010 - 10 comments

Mr Brownlee, I have to confess, you’ve got me scratching my head. You’re saying that anyone can already prospect and even, to use your words, “dig to their heart’s content” on Schedule 4 land while your leader is saying we can’t mine or even know what is under the land until it is removed from Schedule 4. Which is it? Do.. do any of you clowns actually know?

Brownlee digs the Nats a deeper hole

Written By: - Date published: 10:31 am, April 27th, 2010 - 20 comments

On March 22, Gerry Brownlee took Mt Aspiring off his mad mining wish list saying “the government has decided, for reasons of its own, not to pursue mining potential in that area”. But Brownlee was lying. The very same day, he signed an order temporarily blocking mining companies from prospecting in areas that would be subject to a $4 million government minerals survey. Mt Aspiring was included.

Mining spin: Govt try improve palatability of unpalatable plan

Written By: - Date published: 1:04 pm, April 24th, 2010 - 26 comments

The Government is trying to run a campaign to try and minimise public outcry of its plan to desecrate areas areas of our National Parks. By purposefully releasing its mad initial plan, Minister of Energy Gerry Brownlee hoped his second-choice would appear more palatable. Well, let’s be very clear here Mr Brownlee. You have no right to pick and choose to desecrate any of our special National Parks.

Full extent of Nats’ mining plans revealed

Written By: - Date published: 9:26 am, April 24th, 2010 - 27 comments

The full extent of just how far the Government would like to push mining on conservation land has been revealed in documents obtained by Radio NZ. The documents show the Nats wanted 90% of Rakiura/Stewart Island, which is still on the table, open to mining activities. In total opening 467,517 hectares for mining were initially signed off for mining (roughly one and half times the area of Samoa).

Octagon Mine Plans Announced

Written By: - Date published: 11:58 am, April 22nd, 2010 - 12 comments

The Great National Mining Corporation has chosen Earth Day to announce its plans to seek government approval to mine in Dunedin’s Octagon. Commenting on the irony of the timing of the release of their plans, GNMC spokesman Doug de Houlle said “What better day than Earth Day? The government wants mining and we can move the earth to do it.”

More on Crosby-Textor, mining, and the Nats

Written By: - Date published: 6:53 am, April 22nd, 2010 - 18 comments

We all know that long before John Key got into the gold and uranium mining industry, Crosby Textor Chairman, Robert J Champion de Crespigny was pushing the mining industry’s cause in New Zealand. So, who is this CT man who has been called Australia’s ‘Mr Gold’, a “mining magnate”, a “resource-sector heavyweight” and “a legend”?

Don’t undermine New Zealand

Written By: - Date published: 12:42 pm, April 14th, 2010 - 35 comments

The Federated Mountain Clubs of NZ, Greenpeace, Forest and Bird, Coromandel Watchdog, and the Environment and Conservation Organisations of Aotearoa New Zealand have come together to organise the ‘Don’t Undermine New Zealand’ march on May 1st in Auckland. It should be a great event. Get out there and tell this government that some parts of our country are too precious to mine.

National’s rock and hard place

Written By: - Date published: 11:31 am, April 12th, 2010 - 23 comments

National’s proposed reform of the foreshore and seabed legislation is no ‘elegant solution’. Instead, it is being criticised in the business press as an undemocratic favouring of Maori business interests over Pakeha ones, while iwi are saying that it doesn’t give them what they want.

Brownlee still spouting the same garbage on mining

Written By: - Date published: 12:23 pm, April 6th, 2010 - 34 comments

The Government is trying to frame the mining issue as a debate between ’emotional’ environmentalists and ‘sensible’ people who want to build the economy. The reality, however, is that the Government has no clue what benefits mining on protected land could bring or the costs. How are we meant to rationally weigh the pros and cons when the Government doesn’t know what they are and has made no effort to find out? The Government just wants to dig and pray.

Over-promise, under-deliver

Written By: - Date published: 11:48 am, March 31st, 2010 - 7 comments

The Key Government is constantly promising us great results and actually do nothing that improves things for New Zealanders. English, Bennett, Brownlee, and Tolley are prime examples of this MO. While they promise great things and fail to deliver unemployment is rising, wages are falling, crime is up, and the government has no plan to move us forward.

Insight on mining

Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, March 31st, 2010 - 2 comments

NatRad’s Insight has the best overview of the Brownlees mining proposal that I’ve seen (or rather heard) from the media to date.

Environmental issues reporter, Ian Telfer investigates the Government’s proposal in “Mining in National Parks”.

John Key received gold-nugget donation from mining industry

Written By: - Date published: 3:18 pm, March 30th, 2010 - 69 comments

According to a West Coast Times article sourced by norightturn, John Key received a $1000 donation in the form of a gold nugget from a mining company. It’s becoming very clear just how close the connections are between the mining industry and John Key’s National Party are.

Does mining meet Key’s tests?

Written By: - Date published: 9:20 am, March 30th, 2010 - 22 comments

John Key have given three tests that mining on protected land would have to meet to satisfy him that it ought to be permitted- creates jobs and benefits the local economy, economically viable, and environmentally sensitive. Mining on Schedule 4 land fails to meet Key’s own tests but that’s not going to be enough to stop National. Only determined pubic opposition will stop them.

Mining secret agenda emerging

Written By: - Date published: 11:51 pm, March 29th, 2010 - 12 comments

It’s becoming clear that National had their policy to mine on protected land all planned before the election and hid the truth from the public because they feared it would make them unelectable. National needs to front up with the records of their pre-election discussions with the mining industry. Labour should challenge them to come clean in the House today.

Mining – a third way?

Written By: - Date published: 6:39 pm, March 28th, 2010 - 14 comments

As always Rod Oram offers a considered approach to issues of the day. In today’s Sunday Star Times he offers his analytical skills to mining.

Nats losing support over mining plan

Written By: - Date published: 10:18 am, March 28th, 2010 - 24 comments

According to a poll in the the Sunday Star Times, John Key’s mining plan has turned off one in six National voters. The government claims not to be worried by the negative public relation. John Key is starting to sound very out of touch on the mining issue, and that could be his biggest mistake yet.

The long game on mining

Written By: - Date published: 12:25 am, March 27th, 2010 - 20 comments

Beyond this opening gambit on mining, National clearly has a larger plan. It is going to back down over Great Barrier, whether or not that was never part of the plan all along. But it is lining up more areas for later on. Areas like Dun Mountain near Nelson. Supposedly there’s gold in that there hill. But it also happens to be the site of one section of the John Key Memorial Cycleway…

Oxymorons

Written By: - Date published: 10:31 am, March 26th, 2010 - 29 comments

The Nats are flailing about desperately looking for an angle to convince Kiwis to trash their country and their heritage for 30 pieces of silver. Brownlee’s latest line is that mining is a green industry. Only ignorance could breed this government of oxymorons…

Gerry Brownlee’s date scone recipe

Written By: - Date published: 8:31 am, March 26th, 2010 - 15 comments

1. Decide that you are going to get rich out of selling dates.

2. No! Better! Get rich by having your mates sell your dates and clipping the ticket.

3. Take a dozen or so date scones.

4. Ignore all the dates sitting around that are not in scones…

Labour on mining. Brownlee on bullshit.

Written By: - Date published: 8:00 am, March 26th, 2010 - 33 comments

There has been considerable discussion about the message and targeting of Labours policy on mining around the conservation estate in OpenMike and some of the other blogs. This is obviously going to be a reasonable large policy platform in the upcoming election in about 18 months (how time flies). So Labour having a clear policy on it over the last decade pleases me greatly. It agrees broadly with my views of balancing the economics between exploitation of extraction and sustainable tourism.

I’m pretty much in agreement with Lew at Kiwipolitico who said “Labour’s campaign against mining Schedule 4 land looks strong, especially at the iconographic level.”

Nats’ last gasp counter-attack falls flat

Written By: - Date published: 6:18 pm, March 25th, 2010 - 57 comments

The Nats are saying Labour supported mining in office and opposes it now. The truth is that Labour has consistently supported environmentally responsible mining but never on the special parts of the conservation estate in Schedule 4 (see diagram: the dark area is what everyone agreed was out of bounds until the Nats’ flip-flop).

‘Dig & hope’ – Nats’ great plan

Written By: - Date published: 10:30 am, March 25th, 2010 - 43 comments

National’s mining policy is ‘dig and hope’. That’s the only conclusion one can draw after Gerry Brownlee and Nick Smith admitted National has no idea of the value of the minerals supposedly under the protected lands they want to dig up. Remember, this is National’s lynch-pin economic policy. They are we have dig up these protected lands for the sake of the economy but have no idea of what’s there.

Coromandel mine claims rubbished

Written By: - Date published: 12:49 am, March 25th, 2010 - 16 comments

Denis Tegg of Coromandel Watchdog writes that National is vastly over-estimating the mining potential of the Coromandel. It would take hundreds of mines and tens of millions of tonnes of toxic tailings to get the billions promised. The people of Waihi know that despite the wealth dug up from underneath them, their town is mired in poverty and permanently threatened by tailings leaking.

The Economist slams John Key’s mining plan

Written By: - Date published: 11:48 am, March 24th, 2010 - 40 comments

The flagship publication of the global free market The Economist has attacked John Key’s mining plan for undermining New Zealand’s 100% pure brand. It seems the Greens have a better understanding of market economics than John Key. Maybe Mr Key should’ve asked for advice after all on how his plan might hurt the Kiwi brand?