Clean metals recycling better than dirty mining
Although many like to portray him as such, the minister for resources is no fool.
Quite the contrary; Shane Jones is a wily politician.
He, like most others who have written opinion pieces in support of fast-tracked mining projects in Otago, has a clear vested interest in selling those massive holes and toxic waste dams to the unwitting public.
That is in stark contrast to the likes of Sir Sam Neill, Green MP Scott Willis, Sir Ian Taylor and others whose acknowledged vested interests are protection of our people, culture, natural places, landscapes, clean water, our tourism industry, wineries, history and other valuable assets that most of us want to remain for our grandchildren to be able to enjoy as we have.
However, the element missing from the pro/anti arguments we’ve been hearing is that there are, right now, very viable alternatives to extracting precious metals and "critical" minerals by ripping out our treasured places, forests, oceans, vineyards, etc.
That is, the recovery of gold and other metals from electronic waste.
Taking cellphones alone, every tonne of those devices that are otherwise dumped in valleys in Asia are already yielding 400g to 600g, with negligible polluting by-products and no toxic legacies to be managed.
That compares very favourably with the mining of gold which offers a meagre 2g-4g per tonne of finely powdered rock waste plus all of the associated damage to the environment and communities.
The only barrier to us having clean metals recycling industries is this government favours dirty mining by foreign corporations with incentives and tax benefits.
Meanwhile, it treats e-waste recycler projects so badly that those businesses have moved to Australia.
Pin-up letters
May I congratulate and commend your readers to two recent letters to this newspaper.
Graeme Bell, from Balclutha, wrote an extremely informative letter on current mining practices and not a tear stain in sight.
Barbara Hore, from Central Otago and from a long-established and highly respected family, wrote a stunning rebuttal to the emotive rhetoric we read these days.
Can I suggest that both letters are nailed to the office doors of the Central Otago district mayor/CEOs/Do/ORC and all those who are likely to deny a future to our young people in this mineral-rich area.
Grandeur, desolation
All praise to Prof David Hutchinson for planning to swim Cook Strait and raise money for a sprinkler system at Tūhura Otago Museum. As he says, Otago’s exceptionally rich history, particularly during the gold rush times, had allowed the museum to acquire a vast and internationally significant collection of more than 1.5 million items (ODT 24.1.26).
It is a reminder that in the 19th century, most of the profits from the gold rush remained in Otago, where they helped build towns and cities full of grand houses and commercial buildings, educational and cultural institutions, roads and transport systems, all of which enrich the lives of locals and attract tourists.
By contrast, most of the profits from the proposed Santana mine will leave not grandeur but desolation behind.
Getting on board with cetacean legal personhood
Green Party list MP Teanau Tuiono has proposed a parliamentary Bill recognising whales as human beings.
A couple of whales I spoke to recently completely agreed that whales have for too long been dismissed as mere majestic, protected marine mammals, and that some basic human rights were long overdue. One was keen to get on to a jobseekers benefit, while the other was interested in entering local government politics, although goodness knows where she would find the time after long days collecting tonnes of krill in the Southern Ocean.
When I raised potential logistic issues regarding meeting attendance, she simply emitted an enormous waterspout of derision, and sounded.
I know private member’s Bills are designed for individual MPs to pursue pet projects, but given that the Green Party hierarchy constantly reminds us that the planet’s Doomsday Clock is ticking loudly, and that if the Bill gets to Parliament it will consume a lot of valuable resource, could they not have encouraged the MP to promote something actually "green", like eliminating single-use plastics?
At the very least they could include an IQ test in the candidate selection process.
Overgrown Town Belt path concerns
I find it strange that the Dunedin City Council has closed a portion of the road within the Town Belt to enable people to walk freely when there is a neglected, dangerous overgrown section near the walk’s source, the Southern Cemetery.
From there, the tree-lined track just below the Zingari rugby grounds (Montecillo Park) offers spectacular harbour views, but for months now, continually watching your step is needed because the track is almost obliterated by a jungle of weeds.
As you near Steep St it gets worse. Floods gouged out the gravel on the incline about two years ago. The resulting ditches could be navigated when the weeds etc were kept back. Not now.
Many locals, including my senior self, have used this part of the track for a round-the-park walk for many years.
There is a huge risk of accident and injury to all, including city visitors, who walk this Town Belt track section. It should be fixed.
Safety issues
At a time when walking has become the "in" healthy means of getting about and the DCC is promoting the banning of motorised traffic through the Town Belt to encourage cyclists and walkers, I am reminded of the advice given by a policewoman to a family member whose teenage daughter, taking a shortcut home from high school, was approached in the belt by a serial predator.
The advice was: "Never ever take a shortcut through the Town Belt. Serial offenders commonly prowl in this dense woodland. It’s just not safe for young people on their own".
In this case, the school girl had put up a good enough fight to get away from the predator and her parents immediately reported the incident to the police. When finally caught he was jailed on both this and a number of similar attacks on young women.
Interestingly, that part of the Town Belt where the offences occurred was not as heavily wooded as the areas proposed for the car-free trial.
But they still remain places I would not recommend anyone, young or old, to visit alone.
Cable cars
There is a long-term plan to rebuild the best of Dunedin’s cable car lines with a connecting tramline, at no cost to the Dunedin City Council or ratepayers.
Firstly then, the funding? Simple really, I would encourage all people who want to see cable car return to Dunedin’s hills to copy what I have recently done. I have made a new will, leaving all the proceeds of the sale of my assets to The Dunedin Light Rail Trust, which has advanced plans to reinstate the Mornington Cable Car Line up High St.
Your children may not need your money but the city you also love does. Many would welcome your decision, for they too would clearly love to see cable cars return to their hometown.
After the High St line has been rebuilt, I would like to see a partial rebuild of the top, steepest part of the Maryhill extension (1885-1955) as a tourist attraction ride. This was once the steepest cable car line in the world, the reason why the Duke of Edinburgh rode it during the 1954 Royal Tour.
The hills of Dunedin are still as steep and spectacular as they were then; they are assets to be used.
Also, I would like to see the rebuild of the first line, the 1881 Roslyn, commonly known as Rattray St, at least up to Highgate. From the Octagon, the 1900 Stuart St Line, officially called the Kaikorai Line, will also need to be rebuilt. It was stopped in 1947 to allow the Stuart St extension above London St to be constructed.
Such a rebuild over decades would capture the imagination of not only the whole country, but the whole world. It would stimulate the local industry, increase tourist numbers and attract new Dunedin residents, keen to be part of it.
I am dreaming? Certainly not. Remember, the cable car and tram network were mostly built in the 19th century. If the funding is there, it can easily by rebuilt from 2026 onwards but it will take decades.
[Abridged — length. Editor.]
Broken promise
"Beach vehicle bylaw decision ‘broken promise" (ODT 5.2.26) covered the refusal by the Clutha District Council to establish safe zones as provided for in the 2023 Vehicles on Beaches Bylaw.
Safe zones are specific beaches that are off-limits to vehicles in order to protect the environment, people and wildlife. The "broken promise" refers to the overturning of the council’s February 2025 resolution to review the matter after the local body elections.
The ODT article has one glaring omission: nowhere does it explain why councillors were unwilling to create safe zones.
But don’t blame the reporter. At the council meeting, discussion dealt solely with the question of speed limits on beaches.
It was resolved that no further review of safe zones would be undertaken as part of the council’s work programme. There was no debate. No explanation.
Speakers in the public forum preceding the meeting were instructed not to refer to vehicles on beaches in their presentations. They abided by that ruling.
In return they are due the courtesy of a clear public statement from councillors, explaining why they appear to consider safe zones to be unnecessary, despite clear evidence to the contrary.
Roading issues
On February 4 I joined in the protest outside Clutha District Council offices to highlight the ridiculousness of beaches being classed as roads (we set up a "beach" on the road leading to the CDC carpark).
I thought it spoke volumes about the council that, rather than come and talk to us in person, they called the police instead.
Treaty survey
Re Giles Dexter’s article (29.1.25) about the Treaty of Waitangi influence survey, here are some thoughts and questions.
The first paragraph is a generalised statement about the survey’s findings that is not a true reflection of said findings as detailed later on in the article.
Of those surveyed, was the first question they were asked about their understanding of the Treaty and related principles? If not, why not? How can the survey results be robust if we don't have this critical information?
Shouldn’t the headline have read more like, over half of those interviewed believe the influence of the Treaty is "just right" or "not enough", outweighing those who believe it’s "too much"? Also, 1000 responses is not enough to fully reflect the general feeling of New Zealanders.
At this critical time of polarised thinking regarding the Treaty, it is imperative that the media report facts and information with clarity, avoiding possible misunderstandings.
Old aid
Your editorial (3.2.26) about the sensitivity of India to imports of New Zealand dairy produce makes interesting, if wry, reading.
New Zealand contributed millions to the Indian dairy industry via the Colombo Plan. Noteworthy among Indians studying here was Dr Verghese Kurien, who went home and founded the modern Indian co-operative dairy industry.
Arriving here with an engineering qualification, but no dairying experience, he was so taken with our co-operative model that back home he founded the Bombay Milk Scheme. This project saw huge income and production increases.
Indeed, Kurien's New Zealand-acquired skills were so central to Indian dairy development that his birthday is celebrated as National Milk Day. Seems though that our well-intentioned largesse all those decades ago has not helped our trade.
The way we were
While motoring along Highgate recently I noted with a tinge of sadness the closure of the little store known as "the dairy in the dip". I resided in this area of Māori Hill in my school days and remember vividly the thriving business it was. Next door celebrity cook Alison Holst and family resided for a time and further along, there was a grocer’s store, a butcher and a fruit shop.
We residents then were greeted daily by the community policeman, Constable Craig.
Those were the halcyon years and much nostalgia remains amidst a vastly changing world.
Address Letters to the Editor to: Otago Daily Times, PO Box 517, 52-56 Lower Stuart St, Dunedin. Email: letters@odt.co.nz
