9 Oct 2019

Government u-turn allowed for expansion of Waihi gold mine

From Morning Report, 8:26 am on 9 October 2019

The Government has done a u-turn and given an overseas mining company permission to buy farmland near Waihi so it can expand its gold mine. Melbourne-based Oceana Gold's original application this year was rejected after Land Information Minister Eugenie Sage, who'd been considering the matter with Associate Finance Minister David Clark, vetoed the purchase. But a second application, which was considered by Finance Minister Grant Robertson and Associate Minister David Parker, has been successful. We speak to former Green MP Catherine Delahunty who is a board member for the Coromandel Watchdog environmental group, which opposes the sale.