Image Shows Real Life Eden Park-Mining Impacts

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Minister of Energy and Resources Minister Gerry Brownlee has used an "Eden Park and postage stamp" analogy, regarding Government plans to allow mining on protected Schedule 4 conservation land.

"Coromandel Watchdog has produced an Eden Park -mining image which is more accurate and compelling as to the real-life impacts of modern gold mining", says spokesperson Denis Tegg. (see attached image)

"Using Google maps of identical scale we have produced an image which places Eden Park alongside Newmont's Waihi gold mine. The map shows the open pit, the tailings dam containing 40 million tonnes of hazardous waste, processing facilities and waste rock dumps."

"The image reveals that when looking at real-life mining impacts, it is Eden Park which is the tiny postage stamp, when compared to the massive scale of this gold mining operation" said Mr. Tegg. "The Waihi mining operations are equivalent in size to around 70 Eden Parks"

"Eden Park's South Stand is about 10 meters lower than the height of the wall propping up the tailings dam at Waihi. The hazardous waste in the dam would fill Eden Park scores of times, and still be spilling over the top of the stands."

"Mr. Brownlee has used a misleading and abstract analogy in a vain attempt to diminish the impact of mining. The image Watchdog has produced graphically demonstrates the invasive reality of modern mining," said Mr. Tegg.

ENDS

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