beware the mining beast

What would really happen if maori land was opened up, by iwi for mining. Well other indigenous peoples have experienced this, for instance the Takla Lake First Nation people in British Columbia.

These are quotes from the Executive Summary of "Bearing the burden the effects of mining on First Nations in British Columbia. International Human Rights Program, Harvard Law School. Full report here.

While Takla has good relations with some mining companies, it has generally been ambivalent or even hostile to new projects. This attitude stems largely from the fact that community members feel excluded from the process that reviews proposals and inundated with mining claims and projects on their traditional territory. In addition, Takla—home to exploration sites, a major open-pit mine, and several abandoned operations—has seen the range of harms caused by different stages of mining. Members of Takla widely report destruction of habitat, a decrease in wildlife, and a fear of health problems from contaminants. Because of Takla’s close

ties to the land, these effects cause cultural as well as environmental injury. Finally, even those members who are willing to accept mining say that they have not received the benefits that are supposed to accrue from the industry—in particular, revenue sharing and employment opportunities.

The players in this industry do not care about indigenous peoples or the environment - they really have just one responsibility and that is to generate a profit for shareholders. They crush their opponents, break their promises and laugh as the walk across broken land and bodies, all the way to the bank. They are mean and serious and they eat indigenous rights without blinking. It is too late once they are in, once they sniff a profit and the door is opened - much too late then.

Takla’s traditional governance structure reflects this close relationship to the land. Known as the potlatch system, it is centered around keyohs, families’ traditional tracts of land. A family leader represents the keyoh at community gatherings and is commonly described as “speaking for the land.” The names these keyoh holders inherit often indicate their responsibilities to the environment. The name “wise fish,” for example, belongs to a man who must protect the water so that fish can safely spawn. The Canadian government, however, banned the potlatch system for many years and created an alternative governance structure—an elected chief and four council members—that still survives. The existence of two types of spokespeople sometimes creates tensions because government officials communicate primarily with chief and council as representatives of the whole community while ignoring keyoh holders who “speak for the land.”

There are many similarities between indigenous peoples. I hope our 'speakers for the land' are making their voices heard - we need to hear them.

During interviews, Takla’s members voiced particularly adamant criticism of the lack of consultation. Because free entry does not require consultation, they often only learn about claims registered on their traditional lands through chance encounters with miners. These encounters have become rare since the advent of online registration, yet the number of claims has skyrocketed. Takla’s leaders said they are overwhelmed with NOWs for exploration proposals. They have neither the time nor the financial resources to conduct in-depth studies to supplement the superficial information they receive and to identify any problems before the deadline. Even when they do respond, their former mining coordinator said, “99.9 percent of the time” the government dismisses their objections.

When the floodgates are opened the flood comes.

Mining also threatens Takla’s culture and spiritual life. The registration of claims without consultation may be viewed as culturally insulting to Takla given their historic occupation and claims to traditional lands. At later stages of the process, environmental degradation interferes with Takla’s subsistence hunting, food gathering, and use of medicinal plants, and with the transmission of cultural knowledge that accompanies those activities. Finally Takla members generally feel a spiritual connection to the land, and some told IHRC that they experience personal pain when they see the environment injured by mining.

The time to halt these talks is now, before any momentum is generated, before it gets out of control and un-turn-round-able. We must learn the truth from those that have already suffered the consequences of letting the mining beast off it's chain.

kingkey turns no into yes

Maybe I missed something but what the hell is john key talking about?

From Stuff

"Prime Minister John Key said the Government had stuck to its promise to listen to public feedback.

"New Zealanders have spoken reasonably strongly that they actually do support the expansion of our mining and exploration activities, but they don't support them on pristine parts of the national parks ... "

This is just made-up. There is no evidence that the public "have spoken reasonably strongly that they actually do support the expansion..." Where is the survey or is this more of the gnats polling. Made up rubbish.

"... both he and Mr Brownlee made it clear that they now considered the Government had a green light to allow mining on any areas outside schedule 4. "As the discussion has progressed, it's identified very clearly where the industry can go and where it can't go in the future," Mr Brownlee said.

The Government would fund a significant aeromagnetic survey of non-schedule 4 land in the West Coast and in Northland to identify mineral deposits, with an "expectation" of increased mining."

What low-lifes these guys are. They get told No and they turn it into a YES. They are just going to pretend, to just ignore and keep treating people like dogshit on their shoes. But one thing to consider teamkey and that is that we are onto your game. When we said NO we meant NO.

back away from the dangerous animal

I'm not going to gloat - too much - but this is a great victory. They have seen the people and their anger and they have backed away from their dangerous plans to open up more of our most protected areas to mining. Thank you to all who contributed to this win. Now onto the next one, because their will be a next one. This backdown has drawn a line in the sand and that is good for opponents of this governments policies. It will be easier to get another line in the sand, and then another and before you know it, they will be gone. And whilst not wanting to get personal the biggest loser is gerry brownlee.

from Stuff

"Mr Brownlee and Conservation Minister Kate Wilkinson this morning announced that plans to allow mining on 7000 hectares of Schedule Four conservation estate land - which included parts of the Coromandel, Paparoa National Park and Great Barrier Island - had been permanently shelved."

"Mr Brownlee acknowledged the decision was influenced by the huge public outcry and concerns that controversy over allowing mining on a small area of the conservation estate would undermine an industry with "enormous potential''."

"... Greenpeace Senior Climate Campaigner Simon Boxer said the decision was "a heartening example of people power in action"."

"This is a historic victory for the record number of New Zealanders who stood up to protect our most treasured places and for a vision of a truly sustainable and progressive 21st century economy for New Zealand."

"... Forest & Bird advocacy manager Kevin Hackwell said the decision effectively created a cross-party consensus against mining on protected conservation land."

"''The decision is a victory for the tens of thousands of New Zealanders who marched in Auckland and other centres against the proposal and who sent almost 40,000 submissions during the consultation.''"

"... Green Party leader Metiria Turei has a private members bill in the ballot that would require such a change."

"Today's decision is a major embarrassment to the Government, whose senior ministers were touting mining earlier this year as one way to lift New Zealand's economic performance and help bring about a "step change"."

All very good and now we must raise our gaze to the oil and gas exploration and black sand mining and the various other ways they are trying to exploit our world and us.

i love my greens

Well done to the greens for supporting the rights of the indigenous people of this land. They have kept the pressure on gerry brownlee and he has nowhere to hide. A great sadness that the maori party are almost silent on this issue of drilling for oil and gas without the proper environmental protection and with out consulting maori.

The greens care.

such as Brownlee thinks he knows best for East Coast

"Monday, 28 June 2010, 3:27 pm Press Release: Green Party

“Digging a hole on land requires public consultation, but offshore oil drilling is pretty much at the whim of the Minister”, Dr Kennedy Graham, Green Party Energy Spokesperson said.

The public have been denied a say in whether Petrobras can drill an exploratory oil well in the Raukumara Basin. Beaches across the Bay of Plenty and East Coast were set alight by peaceful protesters yesterday, who are calling on the Government for proper consultation.

“Having failed to make a case for expanded mining in our National Parks, the Minister is using his powers under the Crown Minerals Act to bypass any significant consultation with local iwi or the general public”, Dr Graham said.

“The Minister is convinced he knows what’s best for the local people and instead of asking them, he’s telling them".

and Maori put ‘on hold’ while Brownlee ignores claims

"Wednesday, 7 July 2010, 3:16 pm Press Release: Green Party

A Crown Minerals official told the Waitangi Tribunal’s Management of the Petroleum Resource Inquiry in April that Te Aupouri had formally asserted its rights over the Reinga Block area, calling for a halt to the process. The official also testified that Te Aupouri was sent a ‘holding response’ letter from Crown Minerals while the Minister considered the issue. However, no formal response to Te Aupouri was ever sent and the Reinga Block offer formally opened in January of this year, despite their claim.

“The Minister is trying to hide behind the Continental Shelf Act, claiming that ownership of petroleum and the EEZ is vested in the Crown, but his Ministry has testified otherwise and has acknowledged Te Aupouri’s assertion to the Waitangi Tribunal.”

Crown Minerals confirmed to the Tribunal that the Crown does not own the petroleum in the EEZ and is obliged to investigate to see if there are customary rights extant when those are raised; that it is an obligation under both international law and under the Treaty of Waitangi.

“The Waitangi Tribunal is aware, Crown Minerals is aware, but the Minister doesn’t seem to care,” David Clendon, the Green Party Maori Affairs Spokesperson said."

and Brownlee ignores aboriginal title

"Tuesday, 6 July 2010, 4:20 pm Press Release: Green Party

“All offshore oil exploration permits should be suspended until clear title to the resource has been established beyond the 12 nautical mile limit,” David Clendon, the Green Party Maori Affairs Spokesperson said today.

“I am disturbed to learn that Crown Minerals is aware of aboriginal title issues but that Minister Brownlee is proceeding with permit offers as if it doesn’t matter.

A Crown Minerals official told the Waitangi Tribunal’s Management of the Petroleum Resource Inquiry in April that he was aware of issues with aboriginal title. It is not clear whether aboriginal title outside the 12 nautical mile limit has ever been formally extinguished by the Crown."

That is all really good stuff. There are so many reasons to oppose this madness and the greens are leading the way with continued pressure on brownlee. He is the weak link and he should be placed under the microscpopic, because he just hasn't got it and he knows it, and by his foolishness their pack of cards shall fall - that's my hope anyway :)

gerrymonster says sorry for forgetting maori

Classic comedy - tragicomedy that is, from gerry brownlee.

he has been forced to apologise to iwi for announcing and doing the deal with the multinational oil company to pave the way for their exploitation of our natural resources, without consulting with MAORI.

He forgot that maori have a say in the area he has sold off. or did he forget...

From TVNZ

"It's an oversight on my part, I must confess, that they weren't consulted sooner. But part of the difficulty we have is some of the commercial sensitivity that goes around these things," says Brownlee."

An oversight - oh that's okay then - this shows the attitude of brownlee - maori don't exist for him, they are so unimportant that they can be considered an 'oversight'.

"The Minister says he will try to liaise with iwi on permits involving the foreshore and seabed in future.

Well a try is better than not trying isn't it? How about this gerrymonster, how about respecting tangata whenua before they bite you on the bum. This deal is a bum-deal in many ways.

Let's stop this foul destruction before it starts and let's send a clear message to gerrymonster and this exploitive oil company that this country doesn't sell it's taonga, it's natural resources and it's future for money.

tarred and feathered are us

I am opposed to this permit to drill for a multitude of reasons. It won't create many jobs, the money mainly goes offshore, it is environmental brutality, it is too risky for this country, and we should be looking to sustainability not continued digging and drilling. So brownlee and key sell us out to a multinational oil company - we are the suckers being used to help them all make more money.

From NZH

"International oil giant Petrobras has been awarded a five-year permit to drill for oil off the North Island's East Cape.

Energy and Resources Minister Gerry Brownlee said "Given Petrobras's expertise, and financial and technical pedigree, this is an exciting step into areas of New Zealand until now unexplored."

The permit awarded to Petrobras covers 12,333 square kilometres.

So while the world looks on in horror at the destruction caused by drilling for oil - what does gerry brownlee do? - he puts in head in the sand and pretends it isn't happening and cannot happen here.

What an absolute idiot - we know brownlee isn't the sharpest knife in the draw - but here he has proven his mettle - he hasn't got one.

Other horrified people include

"Greenpeace last night labelled the agreement "a bad joke".

Climate campaigner Simon Boxer said it was "unbelievable" that the Government was pursuing deep-sea drilling.

"The BP disaster in the Gulf of Mexico shows that it is extremely difficult to control activities in the deep sea."

Green Party co-leader Russel Norman said the Gulf of Mexico catastrophe was "game changing" for deep-sea drilling.

"The inability to control it is demonstrated live on the internet every day.

"Things have changed, and nothing is going to be the same for deep-sea oil drilling ever again."

Footnote - And isn't it interesting that as obama puts a six month freeze on oil exploration brownlee and key refuse to accept what he has accepted, that is

"Where I was wrong was in my belief that the oil companies had their act together when it came to worst-case scenarios," he said. "It just takes one to have a wake-up call."

"... he was ordering a six-month freeze on the opening up of the remote waters of the Arctic to oil exploration and on the drilling of 33 deepwater wells in the Gulf of Mexico. Proposed lease sales off the coast of Virginia and in the western Gulf would also be cancelled."

The US president said he was calling the pause to plans by Royal Dutch Shell to begin drilling exploratory wells in the Chukchi and Beaufort seas, after studying an interior department review of the Deepwater Horizon disaster."

We are going to have to stop this.

Archey's frog verses brownlee fly - hiccup!

Can we see the woods for the trees?

We know that the mining will affect things like tourism and macro-environmental areas by putting roads in and the excretment produced by mining, the massive amount of debris that has to be put through the machines to get a tiny amount of 'valuable' mineral out. But the ecosystem is 3 dimensional - it is what we can see and also what we can't. A bit like the oil spill - the bit we see on top of the water is only a tiny fraction of the pollution - it is a big oil iceberg and the total ecosystem around the spill is doomed.

The mining of shedule 4 lands has hit a number of opponents and it is good to see another join the fight - I have to say I'd get rid of zoos but in this fight we take everyone who can man/woman the barricades.

From Stuff

"One of the world's largest zoos has drawn attention to the plight of an endangered New Zealand frog, which could be wiped out if its protected habitat was opened up to mining."

"The society is calling on the British public to make submissions on the New Zealand Government's proposals to permit mining on more than 7000 hectares of the conservation estate."

The society, which runs the zoo, drew attention to the plight of the critically endangered Archey's frog, found in the area of the Coromandel Peninsula proposed as suitable for mining.

The frog is at the top of the society's list of endangered amphibians. It is described as the "most evolutionarily distinct and globally endangered amphibian on the planet."

The society's conservation project co-ordinator, Helen Meredith, said Archey's frogs were like living fossils, as they were almost indistinguishable from 150 million-year-old fossilised remains.

This year is the United Nations Year of Biodiversity, yet New Zealand was considering removing protections from land where rare and endangered species lived, she said. "In the year when reducing biodiversity loss is high on the political agenda, it is inconceivable to think that we'd put the nail in the coffin of some of our rarest and most extraordinary frog species."

What a description, "most evolutionarily distinct and globally endangered amphibian on the planet." that is one very good reason to kick these mining proposals into touch. Brownlee it is time to pack up your tent and piss off from this mining idea. You are doing the environment and this country irreparable damage by your idiotic attempts to grease up your big business mates - even London Zoo think you are an idiot. It the UN year of biodiversity FFS.

brownlee goes for the old divide divide approach - ho hum

Brownlee going for the old divide divide approach. You can't cut maori away from the anti mining people gerry, you are a total buffoon. But a total buffoon with a ministerial warrant.

From NZH

"About 80 anti-mining protesters jeered Energy and Resources Minister Gerry Brownlee as he arrived in Thames yesterday to talk to local iwi.

The protesters waved banners and chanted as Mr Brownlee dashed from his car through the rain into the Thames War Memorial Civic Centre.

Mr Brownlee refused to answer questions from journalists as he met iwi leaders at a hui at which the Hauraki Kaumatua Kaunihera Council was invited to discuss views about opening up conservation land for mining.

Officers from the Ministry of Economic Development, Crown Minerals and the Department of Conservation were also at the hui to answer technical questions."

Bloody hell - just doing our job doesn't cut it you lot - how can you look at yourself in the mirror. I hope the money is worth it.

Good write up here on Frogblog

brownlee struggling and out of his depth

I am a little boy out of my depth

The Council of Trade Unions have publically stated their opposition to mining schedule 4 conservation land.

From Yahoo

"CTU president Helen Kelly said the mineral value of Schedule 4 land had been exaggerated and it did not outweigh the potential damage to other industries and the environment.

Also, most mining industry operators were internationally owned so many of the benefits would "immediately flow overseas".

"Any move to alter the status of Schedule 4 areas would be unwelcome and against the wider interests of the country," Ms Kelly said.

This was a 'bit of a surprise' for gerry - typically lazy and useless

"Mr Brownlee said while their comments were predictable it was still a surprise that they would oppose mines their members could work in.

"They don't like the Schedule 4 stuff but they support mining in general."

gerry it is not that hard to follow - even someone as challenged as you should be able to grasp it.

"I think people are just reacting to what they understand the proposal to be. It is in fact a very very moderate and modest proposal to enable further exploration in those areas, it's not a commitment to mining in those areas, although we do want the mining sector in general to grow," Mr Brownlee told reporters.

"I don't want to be disrespecting about the position they're taking. We've said we're going into a consultation process, clearly the march forms part of that public expression."

You are twisted brownlee - the 'stocktake' bullshit just doesn't fly - it is not modest or moderate when you initially wanted to put 90% of Rakiura National Park into mining. Your so called consultation is just a joke - guess what - we don't care about your consultation process - we are saying no and No again and thrice NO!!!

fifty thousand march for the land

not sure of source - from The Standard

fifty thousand people tell gerry and the miners - NO

what a great day

From Stuff

"An estimated 50,000 marchers joined one of the biggest protests in Auckland for decades today, to give the Government a firm message to stay away from mining on conservation land."

""These plans are an attack on our values, that we believe our country is worth protecting, that the environment provides us with essential ecosystems services that we cannot get from elsewhere - health and soil, clean water, bio-diversity.

"Those things are not negotiable," Green Party co-leader Metiria Turei said"

Yes that is correct - not negotiable - listen up gerry - you and your mining cronies will lose - you are losing already and your plans will fall as dust - as will your reputation, your image and your legacy.

brownlee puts both feet in his mouth

Some truths about mining from the Commissioner for the Environment

From Scoop

"The government has not made a case for opening certain Schedule 4 land to mining says the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, Jan Wright, in her submission."

“These areas have been set aside as some of our most precious conservation land and before we can even begin to discuss mining it in any rational manner we need a lot of good information which simply hasn’t been made available.

“There are also significant issues around having the powers of the Minister of Conservation watered down by granting shared access with the Minister of Energy.

“Such a move would unfairly privilege mining and compromises the role of the Conservation Minister who holds the conservation estate in trust for the public.

summarised as

"Mining plans don’t pass first hurdle."

and also from Scoop the Greens get into brownlee

"Minister Brownlee was emphatic last year when he said “I make it very clear that no one is talking about mining our national parks”. Despite this public assurance, the Minister went on to propose the removal of parts of Kahurangi, Mount Aspiring, Rakiura and Paparoa National Parks from Schedule 4, in order to allow mining. After three attempts, Cabinet released a discussion document proposing only the removal of part of Paparoa National Park for mining.

“Brownlee’s two failed attempts at writing the discussion document and a policy flip-flop were required before Cabinet gave the task to an independent sub-committee to complete.

“The public continues to be misled. The Minister has placed a reservation over Mount Aspiring National Park, ‘for the purposes of considering those areas of land for allocation of permits by competitive tender’.

“We now have a situation where the Minister claims that official maps on the Crown Minerals website don’t mean what they say. Who should we believe?

“We are well past the time when the Minister should be held accountable for the mess he has made of his portfolio,” Mrs Turei said

brownlee you are a fool and you have been caught out and publically shown for the lies you have told. You have made a mess of your portfolio but that isnothing compared to the mess you are trying to make around our environment and our people - shame on you.

sexy coal

Sexy coal...



Hat tip The Standard

Dun Mountain diversity

This mining on schedule 4 lands is a bit quiet at the moment isn't it?

Some of the additional areas they want to 'investigate' are,

from Nelson Mail

"The stocktake will also take in parts of Murchison, Kaikoura Ranges, Riwaka's Graham Valley, Dun Mountain and Schedule 4 conservation land on the eastern side of Kahurangi National Park."

"At Dun Mountain the stocktake is expected to confirm the presence of gold, base metals, nickel, copper, chromium, cobalt and those of the platinum group, with "moderate prospectivity" for mining."

"Minister of Energy and Resources Gerry Brownlee, said that the "numbers are always going to be all over the show""

All of the projections are made up with little basis in reality or 'all over the show' as "feed me gerry" states.

What is the story with Dun Mountain

"It's quite fascinating ... a very special geological area with vulnerable and unique vegetation and history."

Ironically, she says another important cultural treasure of the area is the 19th-century copper and chromite mines.

Early Maori quarried argillite (pakohe) for adzes and tools, and their workings can still be seen.

Plants and animals, including the Marlborough mini gecko, adapted to the hot and dry landscape, and are unlike their relatives in other parts of the country. The Nelson Biodiversity Forum notes it as being nationally important for conservation and biodiversity values.

Let's start talking about these areas they want to dig up.

brownlee's postcard horror

Good graphic Coromandel Watchdog - this is telling it as it really is.

From Scoop

"Minister of Energy and Resources Minister Gerry Brownlee has used an "Eden Park and postage stamp" analogy, regarding Government plans to allow mining on protected Schedule 4 conservation land.

"Coromandel Watchdog has produced an Eden Park -mining image which is more accurate and compelling as to the real-life impacts of modern gold mining", says spokesperson Denis Tegg.

"Using Google maps of identical scale we have produced an image which places Eden Park alongside Newmont's Waihi gold mine. The map shows the open pit, the tailings dam containing 40 million tonnes of hazardous waste, processing facilities and waste rock dumps."

"The image reveals that when looking at real-life mining impacts, it is Eden Park which is the tiny postage stamp, when compared to the massive scale of this gold mining operation" said Mr. Tegg. "The Waihi mining operations are equivalent in size to around 70 Eden Parks"

brownlee is just making it up as he goes along.

brownlee - not smaller than the average beef or sheep farm

Fall on your sword brownlee before we push you onto it. The greens were right, the leakers were right and now the fight is on.

From Stuff

"The Government is proposing opening up more than 7000 hectares of conservation land to mining.

The land includes some areas in the Coromandel Peninsula, and the Inangahua sector of Paparoa National Park.

The proposal has just been released by Energy and Resources Minister Gerry Brownlee and Conservation Minister Kate Wilkinson.

Mr Brownlee said 7058ha of land presently in Schedule 4 of the Crown Minerals Act could be opened to mining, and he has floated the proposal in a discussion document.

Land in Schedule 4 is usually deemed to be of high conservation value and, at this stage, cannot be mined.

Mr Brownlee said 7058ha was just 0.2% of Schedule 4 land.

"This is nothing like the vast tracts of land suggested to date by the environmental lobby."

He said only 5% of the land being considered could actually be mined - as little as 500ha. That was smaller than the average New Zealand sheep and beef farm

You are finished brownlee - the lies you have run with are now about to catch up with you and your legacy will be destruction and decay. Your name will be used to shame others - starting today.

mining numbers crunched and found wanting

Gordon Campbell has written a very good post about the economics of mining in our National Parks.

Who is giving the figures to the government for their justification of the mining?
Is this person independant or interrelated to the mining interests?
How do they come by the figures bandied about?

You know what the answers are - I recommend a good read of the post and then we need to get everyone up to speed on the lies and disinformation liberally spread by these buffoons.

An excerpt to end

"... probably signals that National’s recent focus group results have told the government just how politically unpalatable its plans to open Schedule Four lands for mining would be. The government is plainly running scared off from being seen as a writing a blank cheque for the wholesale plundering of our national parks. Problem is, licensing a little bit of pillage and plundering isn’t much better. “OFF LIMITS” is the only sellable political slogan."

made up economic figures + compromised self interest = key and brownlee happy - but not for long, their cards have been marked.

And idiot/savant also asks the question, "How much is it all worth?"

Haast/Hollyford road rejected

This is great news - the idea to build the Haast/Hollyford road for 315M through some our most pristine wilderness areas has been rejected.

From the ODT

"The Ministry of Economic Development has advised its minister, Gerry Brownlee, the road might only tweak New Zealand's existing tourism product, would not give the tourism industry a new point of difference, would not constitute a nationally significant tourism development and might be in conflict with the 100% Pure New Zealand brand."

"The name of the report writer has been withheld under the Official Information Act."

The report was written in January.

Mr Brownlee provided it to the Otago Daily Times last week.

He said he had not known it had been completed and was in his office at the time he made supportive comments about the proposal to this newspaper in January."

What the... he didn't know that the report slamming the idea was completed before he made his supportive comments? That's incompetance isn't it?

"Last week, he said he still personally supported the initiative but "there was no particular appetite for advancing it".

He did not have plans to take the matter forward."

YET - just wait until the mining is setting up - they will need some roads then won't they gerry - you don't fool us, not even slightly.

Go here to read about this area from a Ngai Tahu perspective.

brownlee sliding on slippery slope

First they said it was a stocktake, then they said that they would be mining schedule 4 national parks when they are taken out of that schedule no matter what anyone said, then they said they would do surgical mining where the land surface is not disturbed and now brownlee won't rule out open cast mining. If you think we are going to allow that gerry you are more of an idiot than you look.

From Geoff Cumming at stuff

"Energy and Resources Minister Gerry Brownlee has refused to rule out open-pit mining in our highest value conservation parks ahead of a review due out shortly.

The Government is considering allowing access to minerals in parts of the conservation estate now off-limits to mining under Schedule 4 of the Crown Minerals Act.

The areas are listed in Schedule 4 for their ecological and scenic values, and include all 14 national parks and the Coromandel Forest Park.

This attitude of take, take, take is abusive - to the people and to our world. You have an unwinable fight on your hands brownlee - i hope you don't end up with blood on them too.

Snap - The Standard

brownlee - the camel's back is broken!

energy minister (what a misnomer that is) brownlee has been caught in a lie.

He should resign now

From the Standard

"Energy Minister Gerry Brownlee is denying he trimmed a South Island conservation park after being lobbied by mining company L&M. However, documents posted on The Standard and No Right Turn show he was lying."

From the Press

"The Oteake Conservation Park, set up last year, was to have included a 200-hectare Crown-owned block in the upper Manukerikia Valley, but the area was kept out of the park, as requested by Christchurch-based coal company L and M Mining.

The area overlies the Hawkdun lignite coal deposit, one of 10 lignite deposits in Otago-Southland.

Brownlee was adamant there was no pressure from L&M:

“We had no representations from L and M Mining. I want to make that very, very clear. There was, however, a proposal to place … 70,000ha into the Oteake Conservation Park. We made the decision to keep 200ha out on the basis that it may have significant mineral deposits, mainly lignite.”

The document posted on The Standard however shows very clearly that Brownlee knew about L&M’s interest in the area. The company already had a prospecting permit, and we know from the official advice that Brownlee talked the issue over with then Conservation Minister Tim Groser.

Idiot/Savant at No Right Turn here and here and the standard are on this one - go to the links and read the full sordid story. Good work in getting this out there.

How can a minister just lie like that - HE HAS TO GO.

world conservationists react angrily to national park mining plans

Mining in our national parks is seen overseas for what it is and the condemnation will keep growing.

From stuff

"North America's largest environment lobby group says opening up our national parks for mining is an insult to conservationists around the world.

The 1.3 million-member Sierra Club, reacting angrily to news that New Zealand's conservation land may be investigated for mining potential.

"You have the responsibility to protect New Zealand's wild heritage not only for the enjoyment of future generations but also for the protection and conservation of the Earth's ever shrinking biodiversity," writes Richard Cellarius, the club's international vice-president. "Long-term protection should not be sacrificed for immediate commercial gain."

The Sierra Club is not the first overseas organisation to scrutinise the government's new interest in mining. At last November's 9th World Wilderness Conference in Mexico, 1500 delegates from 52 countries passed a resolution requesting the continuation of the no-mining status quo in relation to public conservation land within protected areas.

And a letter from the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, following a meeting of 200 delegates in Korea, said: "The news that a modern, comparatively wealthy nation such as New Zealand is prepared to exploit its resources in lands set aside for biodiversity sends a disturbing message to more populous countries."

brownlee and key are national disgraces and their short-sighted money grubbing will only benefit the overseas mining companies - history and the people of this country will remember this and your names will be forever used as insults.