Last Sunday we met at the portal pad on Mount Karangahake, the place that New Talisman are about to try and fence off so they can begin prospecting for gold. We sang together, got angry together, and began hatching plans together. We are strong and dedicated and we have our own commission – to conserve our precious mountain, to take responsibility where the Department of Conservation has failed to. We couldn’t resist sealing the mouth of the mine with the message from our rangatahi: Tiakina Karangahake! Protect Karangahake!
So what are the new plans that New Talisman have for our Mountain?
New Talisman announced that they will start mining related activities on site immediately. The company says activities will include fencing off the area, installing a generator and a ventilation fan, establishing a security office, sampling and drilling.
Chair of Protect Karangahake, Duncan Shearer, says, “The new plans put forward by New Talisman are an affront to our community and the very point of Conservation land. Locking off the Portal Pad from recreational users in this magnificent natural park will deny locals and tourists a chance to visit this historically vital part of the mountain, which is an increasingly popular picnic spot.”
“This is the start of an invasive industrial operation being slowly put in place by a private gold mining company in a DOC reserve enjoyed by hundreds of thousands of people annually,“ continued Shearer.
As there is an imminent possibility of New Talisman starting activity on the Portal Pad, we want to keep a close eye on the Mountain and alert people if something is happening.
We aim to do this in two ways:
- With a walking roster, so someone is walking up to the portal pad each day and contacting the top of the phone-tree if they see any sign of activity.
- Up-dating and Re-activating the phone-tree. You can either be at the top of a branch which would mean texting or phoning 4 or 5 others or you could be a member of the branch which means you just receive messages and can choose to take part or not.
If you can help with either or both of these actions please send us a message using our contact form
Protect Karangahake 