Tess Brunton of RNZ
An Australian mining company wants permission to explore for gold on conservation land in Golden Bay after its original bid for a mining permit was rejected.
Siren Gold said the application for a five-year exploration permit - covering a 4000-hectare block in Tasman's Sams Creek - did not allow for mining, with early work instead focusing on groundwater, including any connection to nearby Te Waikoropupū Springs, community engagement and environmental studies.
Siren Gold initially sought to mine billions of dollars of gold at Sams Creek in Tasman, but the bid was rejected by the Crown minerals regulator in May following exploration drilling that began in 2022.
The company has faced strong local opposition and calls for the area to be included in the Kahurangi National Park to protect it from mining.
Siren Gold chief executive Zane Padman said October's application set out a different approach to Sams Creek.
"It will be a permit to explore, not to mine, and the first phase of work is about understanding the groundwater system, including any connection to Te Waikoropupū Springs, working alongside stakeholders and listening to the community," he said in a statement to the ASX.
"Closure objectives will be considered early, before any decisions about how the project might be developed. We think that is the appropriate order of work.
"Confidence comes from good science that clearly demonstrates how risks can be effectively managed.
"We believe people support mining that is done responsibly and benefits the community it operates in, and that is the standard we have set for the Sams Creek exploration permit application."
Any future mining would need a separate permit and other approvals.
Siren Gold's March 2025 mining permit application was declined because it did not meet the requirements of the Crown Minerals Act.
The ground became available in August through the New Zealand Petroleum and Minerals' "newly available acreage process", with applications closing on 9 October.
The block combined ground previously held under Sams Creek and Barrons Flat exploration permits, with Siren Gold saying it gave the company a different path to regaining a sole interest in the project area.
The original decision to turn down the controversial gold mining application was met with elation from campaigners who had raised concerns about the impact it could have on Te Waikoropupū Springs, which has some of the clearest water in the world.
This story was first published on rnz.co.nz
