Put the heat on the Superfund - Divestment NOW from Freeport McMoran

Everyday ordinary West Papuans stare ecocide and genocide in the face with nothing more than their commitment to freedom. Surely we can back them up with a little commitment of our own.

Join the picket of the Superfund office on August 1 and tell the Superfund that our future and the future of the Papuan people is not in Freeport.

Where: NZ Superannuation Fund office, outside the AMP building, on the corner of Custom Street West and Albert Street, Auckland CBD.
When: Friday 1 August at 4.30pm -5.30pm
Organised by: Investment Watch Aotearoa New Zealand | investmentwatch.wordpress.com | nowarpnospamxtra.co.nz

Click on image for a larger version

Action against Superfund Investment in Freeport McMoran

After growing public and political pressure the NZ Superfund has confirmed that it will divest from corporations involved in the production of cluster munitions and is currently reviewing its investments in corporations with ties to the production and maintenance of nuclear weapons. So the campaign for ethical pension fund investment has now turned its attention to a corporation that for many is synonymous with the most ruthless, bloodthirsty form of colonialism and the most repugnant destruction of rainforest, river and ocean currently happening in the South Pacific.

They have been killed, raped and tortured. Life is hard for them. All we are asking for is the freedoms that you enjoy every day - the freedom to speak your mind, to live without fear and to choose your own government." Benny Wenda, West Papuan independence leader

For the past forty-five years, the people of West Papua have been subjected to cultural genocide and gross human rights violations including rape, torture, murder and massacre inflicted by the Indonesian armed forces. Since 1963 more than 100,000 West Papuans have been killed; around 15,000 West Papuans are currently living in camps in Papua New Guinea; and others are forced to live in exile around the world because it is not safe for them to go home. The Indonesian government's transmigration programme has resulted in around one million non-Papuan transmigrants being moved into West Papua.

Multi-national corporations in cahoots with the Indonesian authorities have exploited West Papua's natural resources to an extraordinary degree. This has caused massive social dislocation, devastation of rainforests, and pollution of streams and rivers on which the local people depend for their survival. These rainforests contain up to 7% of all the world's biodiversity.

Papuan people's resistance is a last bastion of defence against the Indonesian military and the American corporation that runs the Freeport McMoran mine, the world's largest copper and gold mine. Freeport "has an unparalleled record of human rights and environmental abuse" in relation to that mine - it has created a 230 square kilometre barren wasteland of dumped mine tailings, and the destruction of the local environment is visible from space. The impact of the mine is particularly devastating for the indigenous Amungme and Kamoro people who have lost the traditional lands and aquatic resources that they rely on for survival, as well as being forcibly displaced from their homes and villages.

West Papuans living near the mine have suffered massive human rights abuses at the hands of the Indonesian Military. In the late 1970s, after a group of Papuans cut Freeport's copper pipeline the Indonesian Military launched 'Operation Annihilation'. Troops went from village to village shooting men, women and children and villages were bombarded by the airforce with cluster bombs. 3000 civilians were killed. Killings and arrests of civilians continue today. In 2006 many Papuan students were imprisoned and tortured for protesting against Freeport.

In 2005, the New York Times revealed that from 1998 through to 2004, Freeport gave Indonesian "military and police generals, colonels, majors and captains, and military units, nearly $20 million (US). Individual commanders received tens of thousands of dollars, in one case up to $150,000, according to the documents." That included payments to the Mobile Brigade which has been associated with "numerous serious human rights violations, including extrajudicial killings, torture, rape, and arbitrary detention".

Even after significant pressure from peace and solidarity groups in Aotearoa/New Zealand, the New Zealand Superannuation Fund, a Government-run pension set up to pay for our retirement, has investments totaling $1,600,548 in Freeport McMoran. Plus an investment of $23,846,105 in the Rio Tinto Group ($9,780,671 in Rio Tinto Plc, Britain, and $14,065,434 in Rio Tinto Ltd, Australia) - Rio Tinto has a 40 per cent joint venture interest in the Freeport McMoRan mine.

Everyday ordinary West Papuans stare ecocide and genocide in the face with nothing more than their commitment to freedom. Surely we can back them up with a little commitment of our own.

Join the picket of the Superfund office on August 1 and tell the Superfund that our future and the future of the Papuan people is not in Freeport.

Where: NZ Superannuation Fund office, outside the AMP building, on the corner of Custom Street West and Albert Street, Auckland CBD.
When: Friday 1 August at 4.30pm -5.30pm
Organised by: Investment Watch Aotearoa New Zealand | investmentwatch.wordpress.com | nowarp(nospam)xtra.co.nz

More Information

- Superfund investments

Act now! NZ Superannuation Fund investments in death and destruction,

Investing in whose future? NZ Super Fund invests in cluster munitions, nuclear weapons and human rights violations

- West Papua and Freeport

West Papua: the forgotten Pacific country - Peace Movement Aotearoa primer leaflet on West Papua (PDF)

Below a Mountain of Wealth, a River of Waste - December 2005, New York Times article on the Freeport McMoran mine

IHRC letter to the Superfund about Freeport - Auckland based West Papua solidarity group asks for divestment

Summary of Freeport and Papuas history - Solidarity South Pacific resource on the long and terrible legacy of the mine

Summary of 2006 Papuan student protests - Thousands demand closure of Freeport and the Indonesian military violently represses the movement

Rio Tinto head claims tailings are not toxic

Shareholder's queries were met with inadequate responses from the Rio Tinto board at their annual general meeting held in Brisbane on 24th April 2008, including the outlandish claim by Paul Skinner that mine tailings dumping into the river from the notorious Freeport mine are not toxic.

"Mr Skinners response indicates that the board of Rio Tinto have some drastically inaccurate information on the nature and extent of the impacts of the Freeport mine, and that the company really isn't taking the destructive impacts of their operations seriously," stated Techa Beaumont, Executive Director of MPI who attended the meeting as a proxy for a Rio Tinto shareholder.


"Its time for Rio Tinto to take responsiblity for its role in what is arguably the most destructive mining operations on the planet; to be honest about the severe impacts at this operation and do something meaningful to stop the unsustainable practices. It is ridiculous and completely untenable for Rio Tinto to defend the mine's waste impacts as harmless," continued Ms Beaumont.

The company's toxicology testings and CSIRO studies confirmed the toxicity of the tailings to aquatic life in the downstream environment beyond any doubt (see below) and the Norweigan Government Pension fund- an investor in the company operating the mine divested from the company based on finding of 'severe environmental damage' caused by the practice of riverine tailings disposal.

Rio Tinto is viewed as directly responsible for the problems at this operation in as far as they provided the funding and profit from a massive expansion in rates of production at the operations - a change at the mine that lead to the enormous environmental destruction downstream of the operation and have make it impossible to responsibly manage the mine's enormous volumes of waste.

The chair refused to rule out the dumping of mine waste in rivers or oceans at the company's existing or new operations - practices know in the industry as 'riverine and submarine tailings disposal'despite industry trends towards outlawing these practices. Companies such as BHP Billiton have developed policies that indicate they will not utilise waterways as a dumping ground for mine waste and groups ranging from World Vision and Oxfam to the Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union have supported a call for a ban on these practices.

media enquires: Techa Beaumont 0409 318 406

FUTHER INFORMATION

As a proxy on behalf of shareholders from the Rio Tinto Ethical Shareholders group, MPI raised issues relating to Freeport and also queried the company's ongoing majority stake in Bougainville Copper Limited, that operated the Panguna mine that lead to civil war on the small Pacific island.

The Panguna Landowner Association- Women landowners from the mine site who carry the traditional authority over land which is passed matrilineal in Bougainville called upon Rio Tinto to ensure that they were consulted at the earliest opportunity regarding future plans for the site. Discussions over the mine's future have proceeded between the Bougainville autonomous government and RIo TInto's subsiduary Bougainville Copper LImited (BCL) without any efforts to get the views or include the appropriate and rightful customary owners of the land. MPI conveyed their message directly to BCL's chair following the formal proceedings.

The company's financial reports did not include any estimation of liabilty for or future value of the Panguna operation, and states "the directors do not have reliable, accurate or objective information on BCL" despite a majority ownership of the company. (p52 Rio TInto Full Financial Statements 2007)

Other shareholder questions on the company's Hope Down operations in the Pilbara region of Western Australia expressed concerns regarding the threats posed to important cultural heritage sites of the local Indigenous traditional owners whose archeological significance has not yet been fully investigated. Initial research conducted rated the site as one of the most significant archeological finds in Australia.

Shareholder John Poppins requested information on the buffer zones that would be developed around the site, and also regarding the impacts caused by the dumping of potable groundwater from mine site dewatering processes into a creek system, leading to a loss of important cultural sites, natural ecosystems as well as the depletion of important water resources.


__________________________________________________________________________________
Excerpts from an independent report by WALHI -Friends of the Earth Indonesia on the Environmental Impacts of the Freeport Operation:

available at

http://www.eng.walhi.or.id/kampanye/tambang/frpt-report-may-06/

___________________________________________________________________________________

Tailings toxicity and aquatic impacts: Freshwater aquatic life has been largely destroyed through pollution and habitat destruction in the watercourses which receive tailings. The suspended solids from tailings (TSS) are directly harmful to fish gills, eggs, and organisms which are photosynthetic, predatory or filter feeding. Copper inhibits respiration in fish gills. Bioavailability and toxicity investigations have shown that much of the dissolved copper in river water affected by Freeport-Rio Tinto’s operations is indeed bioavailable and present at toxic levels. Dissolved copper at the range of concentrations found in the lower Ajkwa River is of chronic toxicity to most (30% to 75%) fresh water organisms. Actual toxicology testing by CSIRO and Freeport’s analysts shows tailings water and sediment are toxic to shrimp larvae (Caridina sp), adult river prawn (Macrobrachium rosenbergii), minnow larvae (Cyprinodon variegatus and Pimephales promelas), river algae(Chlorella), rainbowfish embryos and larvae (Melanotaenia spledida), and invertebrate animals Gammarus and Nassarius sp.

Heavy metals in plants and wildlife: Levels of toxic heavy metals selenium (Se), lead (Pb), arsenic (As), zinc (Zn), manganese (Mn) and copper (Cu) are significantly elevated in Freeport's tailings compared to natural jungle soil. The concentrations of several of those metals in the tailings exceed US EPA and Australian sediment guidelines, and scientific phytotoxicity thresholds, indicating that toxic effects on plant growth are expected. Controlled tests and field sampling show that plants grown in tailings accumulate these heavy metals in their tissues, posing risks to wildlife that feed on them. At risk through exposure to metals from tailings in the food chain are:
• kingfishers and other fish-eating birds
• brush turkey, fantail and other birds that eat invertebrates in foliage or soil
• cassowaries and other large fruit-eating birds

At high risk through exposure to metals from tailings in the food chain are:
• mammals such as flying fox or similar-sized animals that feed wholly or partially on fruit
• mammals such as bats which feed on invertebrates in foliage
• mammals such as cuscus which feed on vegetation
• large mammalian omnivores such as pigs

Contamination of estuary food chain: Metals from tailings are contaminating the Ajkwa Estuary food chain. Areas which have received Freeport's tailings have significantly higher concentrations of toxic metals copper, arsenic, manganese, lead, silver, and zinc than nearby unaffected reference estuaries. Wildlife in the mangrove area is exposed through eating plants and invertebrates, which take up heavy metals from tailings sediment, particularly copper. Fish caught in the Ajkwa Estuary have higher minimum levels of copper in flesh than fish from nearby reference sites, and non-mobile aquatic animals living in the Ajkwa Estuary are contaminated with copper in their bodies at levels 100 times higher than normal, up to an extraordinary level of one gram per kilo. The ERA study predicts that small birds and mammals which feed exclusively on estuarine invertebrates may suffer reproductive impairment and reduced fitness, and larger predators (such as raptors) in turn will have less food available as these small birds and mammals become less abundant in the Ajkwa Estuary area.

Ecological disruption: Freeport states that “The estuary downstream of our tailings deposition area is a functioning, bio-diverse ecosystem with abundant species of fish and shrimp.” However, the presence of mobile species such as fish and shrimp in the Ajkwa Estuary is not proof that the estuary is healthy, nor that it is safe in the future. Dissolved copper is present in mangrove waters at levels which are of chronic toxicity to 30% - 90% of saltwater organisms. There are currently around 35% fewer species of fish, shellfish, crabs and polychaetes present in Ajkwa Estuary compared to the reference sites. The ERA predicts that up to 68% of aquatic species are at risk in the upper estuary.

The outer Ajkwa estuary, which includes the nearshore Arafura Sea, has between 40% to 70% fewer families of bottom-dwelling animals, and their biomass per area is half that of nearby reference estuaries. Besides these figures, calculation of technical indices of biodiversity confirms that there has been significant disruption to the ecology of the Ajkwa Estuary.

Impacts in Lorenz National Park: The World Heritage-listed Lorentz National Park wraps around the Freeport concession area, its area having been reduced to accommodate the mine. The Lorentz World Heritage Area is one of Indonesia’s conservation jewels. The alpine portion of the World Heritage site is affected by polluted groundwater from Freeport-Rio Tinto’s acid and copper producing waste rock dumps. Meanwhile, the coastal portion of the World Heritage site is affected by deposition of tailings. Around 250 million tons of tailings will be carried out of the Ajkwa Estuary and into the offshore Arafura Sea, and measurements show a plume of dissolved copper from Freeport's tailings already reaching 5 to 10 km offshore. Tailings are carried by the monsoon current along the coastline, and may come to form up to 20% of the future sedimentation in Lorenz National Park mangrove areas. The ERA found that mangroves and bottom-dwelling organisms in Lorenz National Park have elevated copper levels, with tailings the likely source, since upstream sites within the Park are unaffected.

Regeneration in the Ajkwa Deposition Area: Mine tailings, which will eventually comprise most of the 230 km2 ADA area, at depths of up to 17 meters, lack organic carbon and other key nutrients, and have very poor water holding capacity. Tests have shown pure tailings cannot support adequate germination or growth of most native or garden plants without intensive fertilisers, compost and/or the import of topsoil. Company efforts to rehabilitate a small and relatively shallow area of tailings have involved unsustainably high inputs and elaborate irrigation systems.

The large ADA area which has experienced dieback from tailings will not return to its original species composition after tailings deposition ceases. Native species which regenerate in tailings are neither especially useful to local communities nor representative of the diverse species which comprised the native jungle and riverine rainforest destroyed within the ADA.

Transparency: Freeport-Rio Tinto operates without transparency or sufficient regulatory oversight. There is no information and public discussion of the current management and future for the mine, including alternatives for waste management, and mine closure planning. Despite legal requirement for public access to environmental information, the company has not made key documents public, including the ERA, nor has it made public any independent external audits since 1999, breaching its environmental permitting requirements. The ERA underestimates key environmental risks, does not look at options for reducing waste disposal impacts, and the independence of the ERA peer reviewers is questionable.


Techa Beaumont, Mineral Policy Institute, Australia

--

West Papuan independence day marked in Aotearoa

West Papuan self determination day was marked in both Auckland and Wellington this year. On the 1st of December 1961 West Papuans raised their flag the Morning Star, for the first time. Sadly their short time of self-determination was short lived. In 1962 Indonesian soldiers, led by future dictator Major General Suharto, invaded the territory and viciously repressed the indigenous people. Even since then the Indonesian Military has killed around 100,000 West Papuans and sold the land’s vast natural resources, such as copper and gold, to multinational corporations, such as mining giants Rio Tinto and Freeport McMoRan. These companies have destroyed West Papua’s environment and in co-operation with the Indonesian Military, forcibly displaced West Papuan people from their land.

Click on image for a larger version

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West Papuans still raise the Morning Star flag every December 1st, even though doing so can result in long prison sentences. Two West Papuans, Filep Karma and Yusak Pakage, are currently serving 15 and 10 year prison sentences for flying the Morning Star on December 1st 2004. This year at least 20 people were arrested for raising the flag illegally in the mining town of Timika.

In Wellington last Thursday Peace Movement Aotearoa and Green MP Nandor Tanczos raised the Morning Star outside Parliament. In Auckland last Saturday the Morning Star was raised outside the NZ Defence Force HQ in Grey Lynn, to protest the NZ Army training Indonesian Army officers. A young woman, who said she had been sent by the Indonesian Embassy, took photos of the flag raisers. This wasn’t the only attention we received from the Indonesian government.

To our surprise the spokesman for the Indonesian President condemned the Indonesia Human Rights Committee (IHRC) for giving Papuans 'false hope' and 'provoking confrontation and conflict' by flying the Morning Star flag. It seemed quite strange that we were singled out when the West Papua solidarity movement in Aotearoa has a lot less prominence in the media than in other places, such as Australia. I guess it shows we must be having an impact.

Following the flag raising the Indonesia Human Rights Committee hosted a forum ‘ASEAN and Human Rights’, attended by around 40-50 people. It was our version of the 'ASEAN at Forty conference held earlier this year at the University of Auckland – a stuffy elite gathering addressed by conservative academics and the former Indonesian Foreign Minister and apologist for the Suharto dictatorship, Ali Alatas.

At our forum Maire Leadbeater gave a speech outlining the history of the conflict in West Papua and the situation there today. Dennis Maga, a trade unionist from the Philippines spoke about the death squad killings of Filipino unionists and activists being committed by the US backed Arroyo regime. He compared the situation to the ‘dirty war’ carried out by right-wing death squads in the 70s and 80s against leftists in Chile and Argentina. Naing Ko Ko, a trade unionist and former political prisoner from Burma drew on his impressive knowledge of international relations in South East Asia to speak about the origins of ASEAN and its role in the region. Green MP Keith Locke talked about how ASEAN was originally started by states that could hardly be considered democracies, such as Suharto’s Indonesia and Malaysia ruled under the Internal Security Act.. He also outlined the human rights situation in each of the ASEAN countries. Cameron Walker spoke about the recent ‘terror raids’ in Aotearoa and how the Terrorism Suppression Act criminalizes those supporting struggles for human rights and justice in both Aotearoa and around the World.

http://indymedia.org.nz/newswire/display/74367/index.php

Related

• http://www.ihrc.revolt.org

Rio Tinto rape the Tai Tokerau

I've been putting off putting this stuff up. I have been gutted to know that Rio Tino are surveying for mining some of our families ancestral lands. Some elders from the NT are talking in Melbourne tonight. (7pm Old Council Chambers Trades Hall)we will be sure to welcome and support their struggles against earth raping Mining companies.



Rio Tinto to acquire Iron Ore NZ interest in Prospecting Permit
The renewal documents for the prospecting permit #39287 include the
immediate acqisition of a 60% interest the the permit previously held
by John Rutherford owned Iron Ore NZ Ltd. The permit renewal also
indicates a future total transfer of the interest to Rio Tinto Mining
and Exploration Ltd - a newly formed company #1918541 reg 16 March 2007

Rio Tinto (parent and subsiduary companies) have the attention of
environmental watchdogs in Indonesia WALHI ,in Madagascar Friends of
the Earthand the Jabiluka Uranium Friends of the Earth lease in the
Northern Territory of Australia

While still raising the ire of the conservation and environmental
lobby, Rio Tinto has developed policy to address the environmental
effects of their mining operations. Rio Tinto Environmental Policy.
The proof of the adequacy will be in the historical audit of the
mining operations when compared with the policy.

Let us hope there is no white wash.

http://www.blacksands.org.nz/new/home.htm

Closeup looks at the issues of the anti seabed mining lobby KASM and
questions representitives from Iron Ore NZ, Crown Minerals and
Taranaki Regional Council

http://www.blacksands.org.nz/new/media/sandmining_241105_128k.wmv

Northland region may have valuable untapped mineral resources.

> 5:00AM Thursday June 14, 2007
> By Wayne Thompson
>
> One of the world's largest mining companies has begun an airborne
> survey of 1200sq km of mineral-rich ironsand deposits along the west
> coast of the North Island.
>
> The Rio Tinto company is managing the hunt for iron and other metals
> in a joint-venture with Iron Ore New Zealand, which won the
> prospecting permit from the Crown Minerals Group in the Ministry of
> Energy.
>
> As the survey aircraft yesterday flew low and slow over the permit
> area - at Mokau, north Taranaki and the west coast of south Auckland -
> iwi and environmental groups and the Auckland Regional Council
> scrambled for more information about the venture.
>
> Fears were expressed for the impact of any dredging on the maui's
> dolphin, a species considered critically endangered, found only off
> the west coast from Northland to New Plymouth.
>
> Ngati Te Ata environment manager Karl Flavell said he had scant
> information about the prospecting.
>
> "We have not been consulted although we are the tribal authority for
> the area from Manukau Heads to Maioro, the north side of Port Waikato
> Heads."
>
>
> ARC environment chairman Dianne Glenn said she raised three chief
> concerns about the prospecting at this week's council meeting. "As a
> result the ARC will write to the Government's conservation, economic
> development and fisheries ministers.
>
> "One of our concerns is that the maui's dolphin has a particularly
> strong presence in the permit area - the Waikato River mouth to
> Manukau Harbour.
>
> "We are also concerned at extra erosion of the coast if there is
> extraction of sand."
>
> Mrs Glenn said another concern was any mining interference with the
> build up of the Auckland construction industry's future sand supplies
> in the Kaipara Harbour. A further concern was the effect of sand
> extraction on Franklin's surf beaches - Sunset Beach, at Port Waikato
> and Karioitahi.
>
> Kiwis Against Sand Mining spokesman (Kasm) Bill McNatty said he felt
> the Rio Tinto joint venture was more "ominous" than previous seabed
> prospecting bids on the west coast because of the powerful company's
> environmental record in its operations internationally.
>
> Kasm raised 15,000 signatures for a petition calling for a blanket ban
> on ironsand mining of the seabed. The petition was presented to
> Parliament in February and is being considered by the Local Government
> and Environment Committee.
>
> Mr McNatty said Kasm had sought information from Rio Tinto and it
> would make strong representations to Crown Minerals if the prospecting
> advanced to the next stage - applying for an exploration permit.
>
> ARC coastal project leader Andrew Benson said the site within the
> Auckland Coastal Marine Area was about 480sq km, extending from the
> northern side of the Waikato River mouth along the Awhitu Peninsula to
> the South Head of Manukau Harbour.
>
> The landward boundary of the prospecting area was the line of mean
> high-water mark. The offshore boundary was a line more or less
> parallel to the Awhitu Peninsula, 15km off shore.
>
> Mr Benson said that the Auckland Regional Coastal Plan allowed
> prospecting that involved the taking of a small quantity of material,
> subject to conditions.
>
> Coastal permits - a resource consent allowing prospecting activity -
> had not been sought.
>
> However, the company advised they might take physical samples early
> next year and would then assess their need for coastal permits to
> provide for prospecting.
>
> A spokeswoman for Rio Tinto Iron ore, Joanna McKenzie, said last night
> from Perth that the aircraft was conducting aeromagnetic surveys over
> sites in the permit area.
>
> The company owns Comalco, which has the aluminium smelter at Bluff, in
> the South Island.
>
> The survey conducted by Auckland-based Kiwi Air and Perth-based UTS
> Geophysics will take a fortnight and the survey plane will fly at a
> minimum of 20m above the sea and follows grid lines 200m apart

> >
> > Qui Bono - Who Profits ?
> > by Corporate Plunder Watcher Saturday June 09, 2007 at 12:38 PM

> > Whoever gets elected at local Council, State Government or
> > Commonwealth Federal level they follow the profit hungry Corporations
> > like in theis case the world's largest mining/earth rape racketeers.
> > Like the Barrick Gold protests if you want to fight and even land a
> > few blows on these parasites then you have to
> > globalise/internationalise extend whatever you want to call the
> > campaign beyond Oz to bring in other indiegnous people and their
> > supporters...
> >
> > http://www.sea-us.org.au/corpfilez/riverofblood.html
> >
> > Rio Tinto PLC / Ltd - The Merger of CRA & RTZ
> >
> > The multinational mining giant, Rio Tinto, has grown out of the
> > former Australian and United Kingdom mining conglomerates, CRA and
> > RTZ, respectively. They have been actively involved in uranium mining
> > since the dawn of the nuclear industry for over 50 years. In the
> > 1950's, CRA managed the disastrous Rum Jungle uranium mine south of
> > Darwin, NT (although it was owned by the Commonwealth Government),
> > while RTZ controlled and operated the controversial Mary Kathleen
> > uranium mine in the Mt Isa region of Queensland. Both mines shut down
> > in the late and early 1960's, respectively, although Mary Kathleen was
> > re-opened in the late 1970's for a further 6 years.

"Marakita_Mehme wrote:
> > >
> > > Caution urged over mining potential
> > > The Bay Chronicle | Thursday, 7 June 2007
> > >
> > >
> > > The announcement of Northland's billion dollar mining potential has
> > > drawn a guarded response from Far North Environment Centre
coordinator
> > > John Kenderdine.
> > > He says extra economic activity is always welcome if it will add to
> > > the well-being of a community but he fears any movement toward
> > > weakening the Resource Management Act to accommodate exploration and
> > > mining companies.
> > > "The environment is the life support system for all life on this
> > > planet so we have to ensure that additions to our economy, on
which we
> > > base our welfare, is good for everyone in the long term."
> > > Mr Kenderdine said he spent three summers working for exploration
> > > companies in British Columbia, where he heard exaggerated reports on
> > > what had been found: "This was to jack up the share price to suck in
> > > more punters looking for a quick buck, but it was only ever the
> > > manipulators who made the money. While I have no doubt there are
many
> > > reputable exploration companies around, I doubt that our local
> > > councils have the expertise to recognise the cowboys before they do
> > > irreparable damage."
> > > Last week's announcement, based on a study by GNS Science and the NZ
> > > Institute of Economic Research, said $28 billion of non-metallic and
> > > $5.2 billion of metallic mineral deposits were potentially
present in
> > > Northland.
> > > The Foundation of Research Science and Technology funded the
> > > assessment, while the study of the economic effects was supported by
> > > the Crown Minerals Group of the Ministry of Economic Development and
> > > the Far North and Whangarei District Councils, with Enterprise
> > > Northland facilitating the process.
> > > GNS Science and NZIER identifies potential for aluminium, coal,
> > > copper, gold, lead, mercury, nickel, peat, phosphate and zinc
and says
> > > Northland?s mineral revenue could increase from about $100 million a
> > > year to $354 million.