A New Zealand mining company looking for gold north of Dunedin could sustain hundreds of jobs for years to come with its proposed expansion, but environmentalists are concerned the mine is taking the path "of least environmental integrity" as it seeks approval. Business reporter Tim Scott digs into both sides.
But an environmental group disagrees, saying the mining company is choosing the path "of least environmental integrity".
A controversial Bill is absolutely not "a war on nature" and would streamline a complicated process, a mining executive says.
An SH130 Hitachi EX3600 electric shovel, unveiled earlier this year, traverses OceanaGold’s Innes Mills pit at its Macraes gold mine — one of three open pits that would be expanded about 200m each as part of the proposed Macraes Phase Four (MP4) Project. PHOTO: GREGOR RICHARDSON
A proposed expansion of OceanaGold’s Macraes gold mine, north of Dunedin, was announced in October as one of 149 projects selected for inclusion in the Fast-track Approvals Bill.
