Long waits for resource consents are still frustrating goldminers on the West Coast, the Regional Council has heard.
The council resolved six months ago to set up a working group with the industry and work on a set of standard consent conditions that would simplify and speed up the application process.
But the issue popped up yet again as an unresolved action point on the to-do list of the Environmental Management Committee meeting in Greymouth last week.
Chair Chris Coll noted the project had been on the books since early May.
And Councillor Allan Birchfield- a veteran goldminer himself – said he’d like to see progress on getting it sorted.
“We’ve got a major problem with consents being held up - I see one of the consents [in the quarterly report] has taken two years, and you’ve only processed 12 mining consents in three months.
“The gold price today is over $8000 an ounce. There’s a lot of gold out there, huge potential, and this council is holding the Coast back because you’re not processing the consents.”
Alluvial gold mining had been around for 50 years, and the council should have been able to set a simple set of conditions, Cr Birchfield said.
“We’re not reinventing the wheel. All we’re doing is washing the gravel and taking and discharging the water. We should be able to get it down to a very basic consent and get them issued. But they’re taking years and it’s not acceptable.”
Chief executive Darryl Lew told the meeting one of the hold-ups in coming up with a simpler set of conditions had been difficulties in setting up a working group with the miners.
“We tried three times to pull together a group and three times it’s failed. Councillor Birchfield, if you could assist in getting a group together to work with us that would be very welcome. “
Cr Birchfield said he’d heard Lew’s previous criticism of the consultants used by miners to apply for consents, but they rejected that.
They would be quite happy to talk to the council at any time, he said.
Lew said the previous WCRC Chair Peter Haddock had tried a number of times to get a group together and it had not happened.
“We don’t want to develop these standard conditions and just issue them; we want to do it with the industry rather than to the industry. We realise many of the alluvial gold miners know their business very well and what will and won’t work, and we’ve got to make sure (the conditions) are practical.”
There had to be changes to the way alluvial mining was regulated 30 years ago, but the council did not want them to be inefficient, or to prevent mining as a legitimate business, Lew said.
Cr Andy Campbell asked what impact the RMA reforms were likely to have on mining consent conditions.
Lew said the details were still unknown, but indications were that basic matters like dust, noise limits and discharges into waterways would still need resource consent.
“There’s nothing we’re seeing in the early signalling to say we’re just going to make all that permitted and you can do what you like. I think everyone would accept you can’t just do what you want with those sorts of matters, especially with neighbours, but it does need to stay pragmatic. “
Cr Campbell said it was largely a matter of simplifying the resource consent application system, not letting everyone do as they liked.
“But it is pretty hard to get a consent at the moment.”
Committee chair Chris Coll noted the new Te Tai Poutini Plan was a step in the right direction in terms of having mining precincts, but alluvial mining operations varied greatly in scale and complexity, and standardised conditions would still have to provide for that.
WCRC chair Colin Smith – attending his first Environmental Management meeting - said he supported Lew’s suggestion that the council try to get alluvial mining leaders together with the council and work through some pragmatic consenting arrangements.
He had experience with the industry in his former legal career and would be happy to be part of a joint working group, Smith said.
“It’s only by working together that we’re going to solve this issue, which appears to be a continuing one. “
Cr Peter Ewen said it was important that miners in the working group should fairly reflect the industry.
“It shouldn’t be a deputation of the disgruntled. There are consent holders out there quite happy with the council..” he said.
The WCRC’s resource consent fees were the lowest in the country, and for gold mining compared very well with Central Otago’s, Cr Ewen noted.
The meeting approved a suggestion by Lew and staff the council should ask Minerals West Coast manager Patrick Phelps to organise a group of alluvial miners and consultants to work with the council, give it some guidance and ensure industry buy-in.
If there was no progress, the issue should be taken to the full council, members agreed.
Cr Birchfield said he was sure the goldminers would be keen to be involved.
“I’m a sort of an Agony Aunt for the industry,” he told the meeting.
“Just about every day I’ve got people complaining to me about your process. And the consultants are right on top – they’re dealing with it. If you ask them, they’ll tell you all about it. They’re certainly telling me all about it.”
LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
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