Stop Santana's controversial fast-track mine in Central Otago

In case you missed it in today's ODT. A thoughtful article by Jonathan West.

"Santana’s figures are make believe. They are a wildly optimistic estimate of what money might be made, that ignores the fact much of the mine’s profits will flow overseas, ignores basic accounting practices like discounting the future, overlooks impacts on amenity, biodiversity, or ecosystems, counts no risks, and costs no remediation. And it assumes a historically high gold price holds, when it has already started to slide. All of this illustrates a broader problem with Santana’s approach and its application. Fast track applications are meant to be submitted complete.

Yet the panel charged with deciding it under the Fast Track has had to repeatedly ask Santana for a great deal of basic but fundamental information, including baseline data on ecology and water. A report on spring annual plants threatened with extinction was only handed over after repeated questioning. Unsurprising, perhaps, the local community are deeply divided, the mine has little social licence, and trust in the company is lacking." https://www.odt.co.nz/news/opinion/what-will-we-make-of-otago-a-defining-election-kve6aj46?fbclid=IwY2xjawTrEjJwZG9mAWV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkEDIyMjAzOTE3ODgyMDA4OTIAAR5SUvm_DNCrhFNgynrrUj9DVk3sQC96zDCSOkQBwp8MbmT0dGEDtdUcH7lHLQ_aem_YI3n5yoQZObRGkZ_FXHfQg