The party last week announced a Greens government would commit to revoking any consents or permits handed out under the fast-track process for coal, hard-rock gold and seabed mining.
"The fast-track process fails even the most basic standards of transparency, accountability, and environmental protection," Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson said.
"The Greens are making this announcement, before any consents are issued, to ensure complete transparency."
OceanaGold this month announced it would seek fast-track consents for its plans to extend mining at Macraes, near Palmerston, until 2035.
Responding to Allied Media, OceanaGold legal and public affairs vice-president Alison Paul said OceanaGold did not comment on politics, "but, the reality is that our mines employ over 1000 people in well-paid, specialist jobs and support hundreds of businesses in the two districts where we operate".
"Over 1000 current jobs at OceanaGold’s two mines and thousands of jobs in the wider communities rely on hard-rock gold mining. In turn, our mines depend over time on a constantly renewing set of permits and consents, where it is always our intention to maintain the highest standards of sustainable management.
"The Waihi North Project and MP4 at Macraes both represent the same combination of economic benefit and sustainable environmental management practices regardless of the process they are consented through."
Ms Paul provided the example of OceanaGold’s Macraes mine which would apply for new consents next year through the fast-track process.
"Approval of MP4 in its entirety will secure the jobs of around 700 OceanaGold employees and the continued employment of the staff from over 200 contractors that service the mine beyond 2030.
"As a leading contributor to the regional economy, the economic impact of MP4 is significant, with OceanaGold spending hundreds of millions of dollars every year, 80% of this in New Zealand."
Resources Minister Shane Jones said the Greens’ plan would undermine the rule of law.
"Retrospectively removing people’s property rights is a sovereign risk and a constitutional outrage," he said.
However, Forest & Bird is backing the Greens’ stance.
"Forest & Bird welcomes the announcement to revoke consents [if granted] for some fast-track mining projects, including two in Otago — Macraes Phase 4 and the Bendigo-Ophir mine," Forest & Bird’s Otago and Southland regional conservation manager, Chelsea McGaw, told Allied Media.
"These sites in Otago contain unique and important flora and fauna that would be at very high risk if these open-cast mines were to proceed.
"I am deeply concerned that the effects on the environment and biodiversity will not be properly assessed or accounted for under the fast-track process.
"Forest & Bird wants these projects go through a consent process which allows wildlife to be considered, the public to have a say, and a proper democratic process."
