Mine proposal 'last straw' for residents

The Environment Court will today consider a proposal from the owners of Waihi's Martha Mine to extend working hours and start underground mining.

Newmont Gold wants the court to vary its consent conditions for the open cast gold mine, which is in the middle of the small town.

Green MP Catherine Delahunty will be at the hearings, and will give evidence tomorrow.

She says locals are very concerned about any extension to noise, blasting and vibration, and the way in which complaints regarding those are managed and monitored.

"Imagine the cumulative effect of living with blasting noise, dust, and vibration, and the constant uncertainty about whether that particular blast, which may well be completely legal, could be the one whereby your chimney falls down."

Ms Delahunty says life is unbearable for those who live near the mine.

"They're not mining a huge new area, though there is an application about to happen for that under Waihi, this one is just like the last straw for some people and their voice needs to be heard because they haven't had a chance in the last 25 years to tell anyone really what it's been like."

Photo: NZ Herald