Gold mine deserves full, not fast, consideration
I am in my mid 80s and will probably never see the results of any decision in relation to the ongoing debate on the proposed gold mine at Bendigo.
New Zealand is a small country with many diverse landscapes and unique species of flora and fauna, many quite fragile.
Corporate bodies such as Santana can claim they are in New Zealand as benefactors, wanting only to enhance our way of life, bringing work and prosperity to the local area, and only advantage to the country.
However, despite the soft words, make no mistake, they are in New Zealand to make money for their shareholders.
Conversely, every New Zealander is a shareholder in our country and any unthinking development may either enhance or diminish the value of our shareholding. Should corporate shareholders have precedence over citizens?
While I am ambivalent, if wary, over goldmining as such, the Santana proposal is substantial enough to deserve a full evaluation of the future gains or losses to New Zealand.
Whether the destruction of a small, completely unique, area is justified by the long-term advantage to all New Zealand is a debatable subject.
Long term advantage should go far beyond 25 or 30 years. Fast track could mean short term gain over long term pain. Let us live for the future, not instant gratification.
The "fast track" approach to this serious question makes a mockery of "consultation" and should never have been considered for this major decision, which deserves careful and considered discussion by a wide selection from the social, science, finance and local communities.
[Abridged: length.]
Wines and mines
Debate on the proposed Santana gold mine has, unfortunately, seemingly deteriorated into a “wine v mine” trope.
The objections of the wider Central Otago viticultural industry to the mine appear to be largely based on perceived brand protection rather than any actual credible direct adverse effect on the vineyards themselves.
There is no reason why wine growing and mining cannot successfully co-exist, as evidenced by the Hunter Valley in New South Wales, arguably Australia’s premium wine growing area. The valley is also home to some of the largest open cast coal mines in the world, whose scale simply dwarfs the proposed Santana open pit goldmine.
A recent tour of the Hunter Valley’s wineries revealed that the viticultural tourism industry appears to be thriving and that there is no adverse effect on the region’s wider brand perception caused by the proximity of open cast coal mines.
Any port in a storm
I was encouraged to see that the inland (container) port planned for the west of Mosgiel was back on track, hopefully (ODT 21.4.26).
It is not only likely to significantly boost the local economy (many jobs both constructing and then operating the facility), but also likely to compliment the concept of a fast (electric) commuter train running into the city, from Mosgiel.
The main road out of Mosgiel to the motorway is a bottleneck, especially during rush hour.
Mosgiel continues to expand quickly. Petrol prices are rising. Surely a commuter train from Mosgiel (which used to run some time ago) should be revisited. Wingatui railway station looks like a good option, with plenty of space around it for a potential park and ride facility. Then could we investigate the potential for a shuttle system from Wingatui railway station to and from the airport?
[Dr Angus Mackay is standing a candidate in the DCC by-election].
TVNZ’s body language is leaning to the left
I now and then consider what the political leanings of your paper are and the jury is still out on that. What I have no doubt about is the leanings of TVNZ, and it is definitely left.
While they can try and present questions during interviews without apparent bias, the body language of the interviewer gives it away; a Labour politician and they are nodding in agreement with everything and positively fawning over them.
The other morning they had the prime minister on just after he announced his Cabinet shake up. One of the first questions was "how many Māori in your Cabinet?"
Of course he was immediately caught in the headlights and came up with his usual blither; another scalp for TVNZ journalism and lots of high-fives around the office water cooler.
What sort of a question was that anyway? If he had training from a good spin-doctor the PM would have countered that one with something like: "I’ll tell you that if you can tell me how many Māori work for TVNZ?"
He is not the only right of centre politician caught out by the tabloid journalism of TVNZ.
The government should consider selling TVNZ should they be returned at the next election: they are not serving the country.
A long history of nothing being done on floods
MP Mark Patterson has shown courage and empathy to highlight the inequitable disservice suffered by South Dunedin residents in respect of stormwater flooding.
The Dunedin City Council has undeniably treated the suburb disgracefully since the area’s drainage system was modified in the 1960s to compensate (supposedly) for the Harbour Board’s development of the Southern Endowment, between Anderson Bay Rd and what is now Portsmouth Dr.
The pumped system, including pipework, was knowingly underdesigned, and the flooding of March 1968 confirmed that. Nothing was done.
Subsequent residential (and other) development over more than six decades has seen a gradual, unregulated-by-DCC proliferation of impermeable surfaces across The Flat, massively further reducing the effectiveness of the system. This is by far the prime cause of the flooding. City Hall seems determined not to disclose the real extent of this.
Mayoral claims after both the 2015 and 2024 floods that the infrastructure worked well were without foundation; the increasing frequency of flood events will continue with every hectare of lawn, garden or playing field being either built on or paved.
Mayor Barker and Cr Weatherall are not responsible for the negligent approaches of previous councils, but they should be prepared to understand the issue better than their comments suggest.
This is particularly disappointing in the case of Mayor Barker. Shortly after being elected to the position six months ago, she advised her strong intent to discuss the issues with me.
I have still heard nothing back.
[Retired engineer Neil Johnstone is an associate of the Surrey St Flood Action Group. Abridged: length. Editor.]
Address Letters to the Editor to: Otago Daily Times, PO Box 517, 52-56 Lower Stuart St, Dunedin. Email: letters@odt.co.nz
