Government declines controversial application for coal mine at Te Kuha

NEIL SILVERWOOD

The proposed mine site at Mt Te Kuha on the West Coast.

A controversial application to mine coal on conservation land on the West Coast has been declined by the Government.

The company behind the mining proposal said the decision was "just another kick in the teeth" for the West Coast community.

Forest and Bird and the Department of Conservation had taken Rangitira Developments Ltd to the Environment Court over the application, which would have allowed a 12 hectare mine near Te Kuha in the Buller District.

The mine was estimated to provide about 60 jobs to the region but would have done "irreparable damage to an area with very high, unique and nationally significant conservation values", a statement released by Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage on Saturday said.

"The Te Kuha area is one of the last two areas of intact, elevated Brunner coal measure ecosystems," Sage said.

"It is an undisturbed area which is precious and unique and supports complex and diverse habitats for threatened plants and wildlife including great spotted kiwi, land snails and lizards.

"Altering the existing topography and ridgeline the proposed mine would also affect the scenic values and landscapes of the Lower Buller Gorge."

Stevenson Mining chief operating officer Anne Brewster said the decision was short sighted. Stevenson Mining is owned by Rangitira Developments.

"We are very disappointed," she said.

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"We are pretty gutted for the West Coast community.

"The Government has made this decision and it is very short sighted."

"These decision are made by people who have invested interests in the community."

The Buller District Council had granted Stevenson Mining, part of Rangitira Developments, resource consent to mine the area in November.

A spokeswoman for Forest and Bird said it was not clear from the minister's statement whether other mining in the Te Kuha area would go ahead.

At this early stage, two court cases – one in the Environment Court and another in the court of appeal regarding access to the reserve land – would proceed, she said.

Brewster said the proposed mine area was very small.

"There are thousands of hectares of conservation land on the West Coast and all we are asking for is 12 hectares. It is very small."

Brewster said she was not sure if they would take further legal action.

"We need to sit down with our team and see what our options are. There is one legal option, but we haven't spoken to our lawyers yet."

The decision was welcomed by Forest & Bird chief executive Kevin Hague.

"This is a hugely significant, forward-thinking decision, that future generations of New Zealanders will be thankful for," he said.

"We hope this heralds the end of this particular ill-advised proposal."

"This is intact, pristine forest with significant, rare plants that would be permanently destroyed by opencast mining."

"The whole area is home to threatened bird, lizard and plant species including the roroa (great spotted kiwi), the South Island fernbird and the West Coast green gecko, as well as the largest known population of the rare forest ringlet butterfly."

More to come

- Stuff