Protesters disrupt mining company AGM in central Auckland

Coromandel residents are outside New Talisman Gold Mine’s Annual General Meeting in downtown Auckland today protesting the company’s plans to mine in the Karangahake Mountain, despite company's attempt to send them to wrong address.

Protestors are outside New Talisman's AGM in the Jubilee Building in Parnell today despite the company sending a fake 'tip off' to the group yesterday claiming meeting had been moved to the Vero Centre on Shortland St.

Shareholders arriving at New Talisman’s AGM today are being greeted with pictures and personal testimony from Coromandel residents opposed to the gold mine, including from tangata whenua. The protestors are also holding images to highlight New Talisman’s conflicting statements regarding the amount of ore they can take from the Mountain.

New Talisman’s mining project has been stalled by their inability to finalise their Traffic Management Plan, required under their Resource Consent.

“Coromandel residents are here today to show New Talisman shareholders the breadth of resistance to the company’s plans to bring the toxic mining industry back to Karangahake’s fragile landscape,” said Ruby Powell, spokesperson for Protect Karangahake, the community group leading the local campaign against the mine.

“We call on shareholders to stand with the community and invest in our burgeoning tourism industry instead of New Talisman’s uncertain mining project.

“Karangahake has an estimated 80,000 visitors each year, making it an important conservation asset nationally as well as locally.

“Mining in Karangahake is part of our past, not our future and we are deeply committed to preventing any extraction. New Talisman must pull out.

"We were happy to provide alternative investment ideas to shareholders who asked for suggestions."

Protect Karangahake has led community resistance to New Talisman’s plans over the last year. With hundreds of people attending multiple protests, including over 150 local residents blocking the mine site on Dec 13th 2014, the day New Talisman announced they’d start works.

ENDS

[Attached - 'the fake tip off letter']
tip_off_email.png AGM_for_New_Talisman_Change_of_Venue_and_time.pdf

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