Resource Consent Submission
Rick Barber :: Te Runanga o Ngati Waewae

Oral Submission to the Hearing in the Matter of the Solid Energy Resource Consent Application to Open Cast Mine the Area of Headwaters of the Waimangaroa and Ngakawau river Catchments.

Kia ora my name is Rick Barber, I am a member of the Te Runanga o Ngati Waewae Land and Environment Committee along with Ben Hutana and Te whe Weepu of Arahura Pa.

Te Runanga o Ngati Waewae are the tangata whenua with mana whenua kaitiaki responsibilities, those with legal and tikanga rights to speak for the whenua within their rohe on the Tai Poutini.

We are the last of the first peoples of this land, our tupuna Tuhuru gaining manawhenua, prior to European settlement.

Our tupuna katoa, all of us, are inextricably linked to the land. Our role of kaitiaki is to be guardian over Papatuanuku and her children, mountains to the sea, Tane Mahuta, forests, air water and mauri that the provides life force or ecology so that Papatuanuku can sustain life for her own sake and future generations.

Our Tupuna were aware of the Coal Resources and mineral wealth of the Tai Poutini long before European explorers were shown and rediscovered them.

Coal mining and subsequent settlements in the last Century has done very little for the sustenance of our people and their economic well being, we are suffering the effects of the contaminations brought by current and past operations as are many of the waterways, landscapes and taonga species of the Tai Poutini. Many of our people have moved away in order to sustain themselves.

Te Runanga o Ngati Waewae and Te Runanga o Ngaitahu have produced a Cultural impact assessment of the proposed mine, funded by SENZ and fully consulted with the tangata whenua the report sets out many of our requirements and recommendations to the Company and authorities engaged in the RMA process. We recommend the commissioner’s read it.

Waewae and TRONT commend the SENZ for its willingness to commit and engage in consultation and fund the CIA and future documents and actions that will help light the pathway for an overarching coordinated approach to identification and clean up of the effects of coal mining across the Tai Poutini. Nobody denies that a huge debt to Papatuanuku and her children has been incurred due to coal mining and the development of an overarching plan to begin to right this injustice is appreciated by the tangata whenua and can’t come soon enough. We recommend that other miners, local authorities and Crown Agencies support this initiative by the tangata whenua as the days of denying responsibility for this reason or that, and treating each mine in isolation need to be over and thorough plan of restoring the mauri of the Paparoa Plateaux needs to be furthered, preferably before any new mines are approved.

The current mine operations have at least 20 years life and to begin to modify this Happy Valley pristine area prior to developing low risk workable rehabilitation plans for the current and historical mine adverse affects on the Paparoa plateau is wrong.

Should the Consents be granted Waewae would like the term reduced to 10 years, we know the company has undertaken many commitments over the proposed consent life but the risks presented by company sale, and economic collapse and the fact that should the mitigation measures not be successful the authority needs to have the term limited. Also the term is more than one generation and it is not just to commit future generations to this activity without allowing them the opportunity to input to any conditions. Waewae recommend a term of ten years for these consents should they be granted.

The landscape of the area is significant to Waewae. The maunga contain the mana of the Tupuna names.

Waewae would like to see the landscape remain intact, free from increased risk of collapse due to water or earthquake and as such underground mining would be a way to avoid the effects on the landscape. This may make the mine uneconomic and hence in that regard the landscape and taonga species are paying the price of the mine profits and Papatuanuku is picking up the tab again.

Waewae would like the 1998 Ngakawau Protected Area Recommended Area for Protection to be legalised as soon as possible and as the learned ecologists agree the area recommended for protection was over the proposed mine foot print therefore the open cast mine should be declined.

Waewae appreciate the resources proposed for species protection but again it seems the species are paying the current price for their own protection and the historic debt owed to them is not being reduced. Waewae would prefer the natural habitat be protected without disturbance.

Waewae have accepted that should the mine proceed the measures proposed for species would at least go some way towards their protection, but again they are being required to move from their place and paying a price for the mine.

Rick Barber
Land and Environment
Te Runanga o Ngati Waewae