The Herald this morning says Energy Minister Gerry Brownlee is refusing to rule out opencast mining on our most precious conservation lands. This is serious.
Energy and Resources Minister Gerry Brownlee has refused to rule out open-pit mining in our highest value conservation parks ahead of a review due out shortly…
Asked by the Herald for an assurance that open-cast methods would be ruled out, Mr Brownlee yesterday declined to give it.
So the Key-government is putting the complete destruction of native bush, pristine clear rivers, and dazzling hills and mountains on the table. All these wonderful things might be turned into giant pits for gold miners.
That is reprehensible to most Kiwis who cherish these places, who don’t think you can sell them off to the highest bidder (or to National’s mates in the mining industry).
The revelation also makes a liar of John Key.
Key promised Kiwis that surgical mining techniques would prevent widespread destruction:
Mr Key said using techniques such as “surgical mining” made it possible to access valuable mineral deposits without desecrating landscapes. “Under modern mining techniques, it’s not these big opencast wounds on the landscape that results; it’s a surgical incision in the land.”
Yet he knew all along that gold miners in the Coromandel would want to churn through and destroy large areas. Thanks for ignoring Kiwis’ interests, John.
Key needs to realise that our land, bush, mountains, lakes, rivers, and seas, are special to Kiwis. They’re bigger than him. Key will suffer a spectacular fall from grace if he messes with them.
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