Mr Lind claimed the overall prize at the Arrowtown Autumn Festival last Saturday, and now faces a quandary. Should he, wife Rhea and almost-1-year-old baby Grace take the trip on offer, or should he boycott the world championships because they’re being held in a country with policies that discriminate against the LGBT community?
Mountain Scene last week reported then-reigning champion David Gatward-Ferguson, of Queenstown, would protest Poland's policies by not going, if he won. But he did not, and Mr Lind now has that decision to make.
"I definitely agree with what David has said ... but I haven’t looked into it myself, so I don’t know yet whether we are intending to go to Poland or not.
"I was a wee bit surprised to win it, so I’m not sure what I’m going to do yet."
The New Zealand championships are run by the Otago Goldfields Heritage Trust, which funds the trip to the world championships.
Mr Lind had been panning for gold, and helping organise the Arrowtown event, for almost 20 years.
The Fulton Hogan employee also delivered the gravel for the competition — he joked if that had given him an advantage, he would not have waited almost 20 years to take the title.
Mr Lind said there was a lot of luck in gold panning.
