Official documents released by the Department of Conservation reveal that Santana Minerals, which wants fast-track permission for its Bendigo-Ophir mine on the western flanks of the Dunstan Mountains, is seeking to undertake exploratory drilling within the adjacent Bendigo Historic Reserve, known for its restored stamper battery, a historical machine used in the gold rush days.
Sustainable Tarras deputy chairman Rob van der Mark said the historic reserve was "the jewel of Bendigo".
"If that gets allowed to be explored we can truly conclude anywhere is open slather.
"It is entirely predictable that Santana is looking at expanding into nearby areas.
"It’s what mining start-up companies do: continue to invest in new exploration in preference to declaring profit and paying tax."
Santana’s drilling desire is mentioned in correspondence summaries released by Doc.
The firm intended to lodge an "access agreement application" to drill there, the correspondence summaries said.
The area contains the restored Come in Time stamper battery and is next to the area where Santana wants to dig an open-cast pit of the same name, one of four it wants around Thomson Gorge Rd in ore bodies known as Come in Time, Rise and Shine and SRX.
The Bendigo Historic Reserve and a neighbouring scenic reserve are both part of a wider area with historic protection under the Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga Act 2014, known as the Bendigo Quartz Reefs Historic Area, which Heritage NZ says has "scores" of interconnected archaeological sites from 1860s alluvial mining onwards.
The wider area, not shown on Doc leaflets, appears to sit above significant amounts of the gold Santana wants to mine within its fast-track application, particularly its SRX pit.
The released correspondence chains also included discussion about Santana’s desire to drill more within the SRX ore.
The land above the SRX ore is also protected by Doc under a conservation covenant and sits in an area designated an outstanding natural landscape by the Central Otago District Council.
Santana’s Bendigo-Ophir project also includes exploration further east, over the Dunstan Mountains ridgeline and down towards Omakau.
It is not the only company exploring for gold in Otago.
It was recently revealed there is competitive bidding to mine a plot of land east of Alexandra and one Australian company, New Age Exploration, is exploring in the Lammerlaw region and north and south of Waipori.
Doc director of regulatory systems performance Siobhan Quayle said Santana had not yet applied for further exploration but added it was possible for exploration drilling to be included in a fast-track proposal.
Santana was asked to comment about its approach to Doc to explore within the Bendigo Historic Reserve but did not reply.
