Environment well-protected in minerals search

Encouraging minerals prospecting and exploration investment in the Far North is not an open invitation to mining, Far North Mayor Wayne Brown says.

Mr Brown says he is attending an international convention and trade show in Canada next month to sell the potential of Northland to the minerals industry and to give the north a head-start over other areas with similar untapped resources.

“It's about maximising the opportunity to improve the local economy and encourage investment,” he says.
This doesn't mean opening the floodgates to mining companies.

“Whatever comes out of any exploration work, mining companies will still have to satisfy demanding licensing and Resource Management Act requirements.

“The controls over mining in New Zealand are among the most restrictive internationally.”
Both these processes provide opportunities for public input.

“Mineral extraction in Northland is not going to happen by stealth or overnight.

“There are some seriously testing environmental demands to be satisfied before any production mining is approved.

“It will probably take about five years before this point is reached, but exploration companies could begin drilling for rock samples much sooner."

Mr Brown says it would be a dereliction of duty for local government to ignore the economic potential of mining as assessed by the New Zealand Institute for Economic Research.

“We are talking about increasing the value of mineral production in Northland from $56 million to $354 million a year, creating about 1130 high-paid jobs in the mining sector and 1600 jobs in other related sectors of the economy.

“Potentially, this could generate a further $367 million a year in the Northland economy.”

The availability of information from the aerial mineral survey completed last year gives Northland a distinct advantage.

“This provides base data which prospecting and exploration companies would otherwise need to gather themselves.

“Now we need to find out whether the mineral resource is commercially viable and the best people to do this are the prospecting and exploration people.”

The Explore Northland Minerals Group will encourage the Government to look not just at the highest bidder, but at well-capitalised companies that promise to create jobs and opportunities for local and iwi investment, are ready to go and, above all, have good environmental records.

“In short, we are looking at ethical mining options. None of this can happen unless we can attract the mining-related companies to look at Northland in the first instance.”

The Ministry of Economic Development is sending a six-strong team to Canada because it makes sense to press New Zealand's case before an international audience of about 27,000 prospecting and mining professionals.

“It is arguably the world's most prestigious convention in terms of mining investment – a one-stop shop.”

The Ministry also recognises the significance of Northland to the prospecting and mining industries, which is why it invested more than $2 million in a minerals aerial survey.

“The Far North has already invested $100,000 in the aerial survey, so this next step is making the most of that investment.

“It's not just to sell raw data. It's to sell the whole Northland opportunity - our enthusiasm and openness to start discussions.”

The Explore Northland Minerals Group has drafted a question and answer form which the community may find helpful.