On Queen’s Birthday Monday a group of our members hiked three hours through native forest to deliver a pavlova to the site of a drilling rig on Queens Birthday.
Protect Karangahake member Nina Mayhara explains “It is a public holiday today so we thought we’d deliver a traditional kiwi desert to the drilling rig prospecting for gold on the edge of conservation land at Mount Karangahake. We wanted to deliver a message to the Australian mining company: there may be some confusion about the origins of a pavlova – but there mustn’t be any confusion over the purpose of New Zealand conservation land. It is for New Zealanders to enjoy and protect not for an Australian company to profit from.”
Lucy Aitkenread who baked the pavlova couldn’t hand deliver the treat as the last time she visited the rig she climbed it and got arrested and has been charged with wilful trespass. She says “It was the first pav I’ve ever made and it turned out a bit flat and got a bit of a battering on the hike up.”
Aitkenread and a team from Protect Karangahake met with Newcrest Mining Ltd last week and were told about their intention to drill on conservation land.
Aitkenread says “Unlike my pavlova Newcrest must be full of hot air if they think they can convince us all that mining on conservation land is acceptable.”
Protect Karangahake 