Goldminer Councillor Challenges Council Over ‘Stupid Questions’

Tuesday, 6 May 2025, 6:51 pm
Article: Lois Williams - Local Democracy Reporter

The use of North Island consultants to process West Coast gold-mining consents has come under attack at a West Coast Regional Council meeting.

Councillor Allan Birchfield, a goldminer himself, said he was hearing complaints from other miners that their applications were being held up or declined by consultants in Wellington.

Miners with permits for alluvial sites need West Coast Regional Council (WCRC) resource consents as well, for the water they use.

Cr Birchfield told the council meeting on Tuesday that consultants were delaying and over-complicating the consent process.

“They don’t know the area … they’re coming back with stupid questions, like the size of the water pumps – it needs to be brought back in house, it’s out of control," Councillor Birchfield said.

Alluvial goldmining had been going on for 40 years on the West Coast, and the effects were well known, he said.

“You are wanting to reinvent the wheel. You should have a very standard application and conditions.. a very simple form.”

The council’s regulatory manager Jo Field said the council was using consultants to process consents for several reasons, including the need to up-skill new staff and applicants on what was expected of them.

One staff member had been away overseas, and it was standard practice for councils to use consultants at peak times, to process consents, she said.

“We have made a conscious decision to defer or decline consents with incomplete information ... upfront. We are trying to become a modern regulatory organisation and …this is part of that, being really clear upfront about what information is required.”

The council had been in the process of updating its forms, in consultation with Poutini Ngai Tahu, Ms Field said.

“We actually invited a number of consultants to come and hear about our new approach and forms and they chose not to attend.”

Local Democracy Reporting understands the consultants Ms Field was referring to in this case are West Coast agents who submit consent applications on behalf of miners.

Mr Birchfield said when he had begun with the council one experienced person had dealt with all the consent and compliance issues.

“It was so simple then. I think we’ve gone backwards – we’ve got all these people making it too complicated. It’s got to go back to that – simple, competent and effective.”

But Cr Chris Coll said the old Catchment Board days were prior to the Resource Management Act.

“I think it behoves the miners … to move with the times and try and upskill themselves too.”

A joint process between the miners and the council was needed, similar to the recent successful workshop the council held with miners in the Waimea catchment, Cr Coll said,

Ngati Waewae representative Francois Tumahai said a good starting place would be to agree on a joint set of conditions for alluvial gold mining.

“Allan’s made some good points, but also I agree we’ve come a long ways since those days and we actually have to change the way we think and operate. But I’m sure we can keep to a middle ground by making it more stream-lined.”

WCRC chief executive Darryl Lew agreed.

“We need to find a collaborative way through here, and we can do that. There are three parties, the council, there’s Poutini Ngai Tahu and there’s the miners and we need to get into a workshop like we did the other week which was highly successful.”

The consultants acting for the miners who had declined to come to a workshop were also part of the picture, Mr Lew said.

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