Two suction-dredge busts

An illegal and home-made suction-dredging operation, discovered by Department of Conservation and...
An illegal and home-made suction-dredging operation, discovered by Department of Conservation and police, in the upper South Island. Photo supplied.
Two illegal South Island suction gold dredge operators could be looking at jail time or fines up to $400,000, following a sweep of the South Island by Government permitting agency New Zealand Petroleum and Minerals (NZPM).

Of six people recently found to be operating small, relatively lightweight suction dredges illegally around the South Island, two men found dredging the Shag River and Arrow River in Otago are likely to get off with a formal warning, NZPM principal compliance adviser Jackie Adams said.

"I don't want to be the one crucifying people because of their lack of knowledge or ignorance,'' Mr Adams said.

"They [Shag and Arrow] both owned up straight away ... they were small-scale operators,'' he said, but noted any warning now would count against if they were caught again and were prosecuted.

He highlighted there was a legislative "element of confusion'' that would-be suction-dredgers must be aware of.

While suction-dredging is allowed by the Otago Regional Council, as a permitted activity under the Resource Management Act, any gold-mining activity also has to meet NZPM's criteria under the Crown Minerals Act, and a permit is required.

"The penalties under the Crown Minerals Act are high, two years' prison or a fine up to $400,000,'' he said.

He described the Shag and Arrow dredgers as "enthusiastic hobbyists'' who were found with only a few grams of gold, while one of the West Coast dredgers allegedly had $60,000 worth of the precious metal.

Mr Adams understood one man who might face prosecution had left the mining industry and was dredging illegally, at times by torchlight during the night.

Following the South Island sweep in March and April from Tasman, down the West Coast and through Otago, Mr Adams said NZPM was considering separate prosecutions against the two West Coast men.

More sweeps could be expected in the future, Mr Adams said.

He said a permit-holder on the Shag River discovered the dredge being used illegally and reported the operator, while on the Arrow River, which is a public gold fossicking site, members of the public complained to NZPM about a person using a suction dredge; which is not permitted.

"A lot is out of ignorance and they are not being sneaky,'' Mr Adams said.

He said while there were some small gold operations around the Waikato, his main North Island compliance issue was checking on numerous quarrying operations.

simon.hartley@odt.co.nz

 


Allegations

• Shag River

Illegally suction-dredging a river, covered by someone else's permit. Likely warning.

• Arrow River

Illegally suction-dredging in a gold-fossicking area, which is for public use only. Likely warning.

• West Coast

Prosecutions being considered against two men, over separate illegal dredging operations.

- Source: NZPM

 


'Fossicking' areas

There are 17 areas in the South Island for gold "fossicking'' restricted to non-motorised methods only, such as panning, sluice boxes and metal detectors. Around Central Otago fossicking places are on Twelve Mile Creek, Five Mile Creek and the Arrow and Shotover Rivers. In South Otago "fossicking'' is restricted to Gabriels Gully, near Lawrence. 


 

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