Save Happy Valley Campaign Update 1
Kia ora koutou,
Thank you to all of you who have come along to the public meetings that have already been held around the country raising awareness about the proposed Happy Valley coal mine.
The meeting series has been a success thus far, with meetings being held in Nelson, Christchurch, Dunedin, Palmerston North and Auckland. The next meeting will take place in Wellington on July 22 (venue to be confirmed).
Councils agree to mine
The most important recent development, which some of you may already be aware of, is that the mine has been given the go ahead by the West Coast Regional and Buller District Councils. Although not exactly unexpected given the nature of the councils, this has put the proposed mine one step closer to being a reality.
The councils granted the resource consents to Solid Energy last week, and groups now have until July 9 to decide whether to appeal this decision and have it taken to the Environment Court.
The Save Happy Valley Campaign itself will not be appealing the decision, concentrating instead on public awareness and direct action, but as Pete Lusk of the Buller Conservation Group has pointed out, an appeal would be a valuable gathering point for all the groups opposing the mine.
Gouland Downs kiwi transfer encounters problems
Five pairs of great spotted kiwi were recently transfered from the Gouland Downs (Heaphy Track) area of Kahurangi National Park to the Nelson Lakes Mainland Island. This transfer has encountered problems due to faulty cages, straying kiwi and the discovery of dogs on the island, and has worrying implications for the kiwi that Solid Energy wants to move from Happy Valley.
Save Happy Valley Campaign website
I have just finished putting up a website for the campaign, filled with as much information as you might want about the proposed mine and the campaign against it. I will continue to update the website in the future as the campaign develops, and will add more photographs of the Happy Valley area in the near future.
The website can be found at:
http://happyvalley.enzyme.org.nz
On the website you can also find more information from Pete Lusk about appealing the resource consent decision and the Gouland Downs kiwi transfer (under "Recent Developments").
http://happyvalley.enzyme.org.nz/?Recent_Developments
Upcoming dates of interest
July 4 - Info stall in Cuba Mall, Wellington
July 9 - Final date to appeal mine decision
July 22 - Wellington public meeting
August 5 - Jeanette Fitzsimons debates with Don Elder, CEO of Solid Energy, in Dunedin
August (exact date to be confirmed) - Next campout at Happy Valley!
Best wishes, Jonathan Oosterman (Save Happy Valley Campaign)
