Miners go after school's gold

A primary school and its roll of almost 200 children may be shifted to make way for expansions to the massive gold mine next door.

Newmont Waihi Gold is in the final stage of drilling around Waihi Central School, which lies on the western side of the Martha mine.

The company is trying to establish whether the gold-laden veins of quartz that disappear into the walls of the mine continue out the western and eastern sides.

Newmont has already drawn two dotted lines on a map, showing where it would like to mine if it does strike gold and gets resource consent to mine it.

Malcolm Lane, Newmont's external affairs manager, says the project is at an early stage but "there's a lot more confidence that there's something there than there would be if we just set up on a field somewhere and started drilling at random."

A decision over whether to continue will be made in February.

Meanwhile, the company is working through the community consultation process, with a view to rapid progress if the project does get the go-ahead.

The area on the eastern side of the mine is owned by the company, although mining would still require resource consent.

The western line is likely to be more controversial. It cuts right through the school playground, and the zone affected includes half a block of classrooms.

No private homes are inside the line, although if the expansion goes ahead, a cluster of homes would be left right on the edge of the hole.

Moresby Ave, the busy road running between the school and the mine, could also be closed.

Lane says the company is aware that shifting the school would be "an emotive and social issue" and last week met school management to discuss the situation.

Acting principal Damien Harris and Gina Samson, chair of the board of trustees, are happy with the way the company is dealing with the school so far.

Samson says: "If they decide to take things further, it depends entirely on their findings as to what happens from there.

"We'll certainly consult extensively with the school community and public, but until we know anything from the mine we're business as usual."

Newmont Waihi says the Ministry of Education has appointed a property commissioner to deal with any further negotiations.

Lane says the company is considering compensation packages for residents affected and says they could be better off in about 10 years' time, once the mine is shut and developed into a lake.

Indeed, some residents seem unconcerned that the huge hole in the middle of Waihi could get even bigger.

Craig Douglas has lived in the same house, a few hundred metres from the western edge of the mine, for 18 years.

He says that though the house could suffer the blasting vibrations cause cracks in the ceiling and walls, and are very noisy he's "all for it".

"I hope it goes ahead, I'm keen as. I might be able to build somewhere else, and get paid for it!

"It doesn't bother us too much, they're keeping us in the loop."

The worst-case scenario, another woman says, is that they will have to put up with a couple of years of dust and noise, before being left with "a lovely big lake on our doorstep".

- © Fairfax NZ News