Target: Mayor Tamah Alley, Mayor of Central Otago Region and Council Chair, Zone 6
Goal: Stop mining company from digging and operating mine on protected land.
A gold mine may soon be constructed on land that is legally protected from dangerous environmental practices, putting both animals and people at risk. Gaseous emissions and other pollutants released into the air through mining activity could make animals and people extremely sick and even cause more fatalities in a natural disaster such as an earthquake. It is–therefore–imperative that this mine be stopped.
Santana Minerals Mining Company is aiming to build the mine in the Dunstan Mountains, a scenic part of New Zealand’s Central Otago region. If plans move forward, 650,000 lizards and other wildlife could be immediately wiped out. Unfortunately, mining officials have submitted their application under New Zealand’s Fast track Approvals Act, a law made in 2024 to quickly approve major infrastructure, mining, and development projects. With certain political officials trying to dissolve the Ministry for the Environment, other similar projects will likely follow if these companies do not face staggering resistance.
Sustainable Tarras, an environmental group in the local area, argues that the mine would not only destroy the environment, but also insists that it would negatively impact tourism since visitors come from all over the world to see New Zealand’s pristine landscape. Furthermore, a dam built to hold mining waste could explode in a major earthquake, a likely scenario since New Zealand is located on the edge of two tectonic plates. Sign this petition and demand the request to build this gold mine be denied to not only save the integrity of New Zealand’s natural beauty, but to also better ensure the animals and people in this region will remain unharmed from any disastrous outcomes that could be caused by such an irresponsible decision being implemented.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Mayor Alley,
Panel members will soon review an application submitted by Santana’s Minerals Mining Company, which would allow them to construct a gold mine in the Dunstan Mountains range located in the Central Otago region. Protections have been set in place to ensure this area’s environment remains stable and to ensure this land stays untouched. If a mine is built here, waste caused by mining practices will become an unfortunate part of the landscape. A vast majority of lizards in the area as well as other native animals and plants will likely die as a result. Tourism will inevitably further take a major hit, as people will be less inclined to visit an area that has been compromised by reckless environmental practices.
Although the company intends to build a dam to try and ensure that waste is contained, the dam could easily break apart in an earthquake since New Zealand passes through both the Pacific and Australian tectonic plates, making it so mining waste would cover and ruin the beautiful Otago region. We therefore demand this mining project be banned to not only make it so the integrity of the land stays intact but to further ensure both animals and residents remain safe from any disasters that such a mine could very likely cause.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo Credit: M. Jenkinson
