US academics examine New Zealand mining policy

Two American academics have questioned New Zealand’s clean green image and the government’s proposal to open national parks and conservation lands to mining exploration.

Rationale for Mining

Drs Kenton Bird and Gundars Rudzitis from the University of Idaho spent time at Waikato University last year as visiting scholars. They’ve published an article titled The Myth and Reality of sustainable New Zealand: Mining In A Pristine Land, in the international journal Environment: Science and Policy for Sustainable Development. The authors examine the government’s rationale for mining, identify risk areas, assess public reaction and political implications and suggest alternative strategies.

While at Waikato University, Dr Bird was based in Screen and Media Studies, while Dr Rudzitis was affiliated with Geography Tourism and Urban Planning, both part of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.

The National government proposed mining of parks and Schedule 4 lands in late 2009 but put the plan on hold after a large-scale demonstration in Auckland and 37,000 submissions opposing the plan. With National re-elected to power last month, professor of geography Gundars Rudzitis wonders if the New Zealand Government will resurrect its plans for mining in pristine places.

Clean and Green Image

The authors say that while New Zealand has many magnificent natural wonders, its clean and green image is not always consistent with government policies.  The Lord of the Rings films as well as the global advertising campaign “100% Pure NZ” attract international tourists, but some are disappointed when they see evidence of unsound resource policies.

“New Zealand is not like Australia when it comes to mining,” says Dr Rudzitis. “Australia is a big country that can support mining on a scale New Zealand never could.”  Instead, he and Dr Bird advocate that New Zealand adopt a quality-of-life model, where people choose to live in a place because of its scenic beauty and other amenities, and the jobs follow, not the other way around.

Dr Rudzitis and Dr Bird quote a study of 100 US towns and found towns that relied on 20 percent of their labour income from mining did less well than other rural communities. They had slower growth, more unemployment, less skilled labour and went through boom-and-bust cycles. “If New Zealand mines on conservation land it will pay a price,” the authors warn. “There will be issues with pollution and the threat of international mining companies coming in and buying up smaller players.”

Hopeful Sign

Dr Bird, who studies the relationship between public opinion and public policy, says that the National Government’s change of heart on mining in 2010 is a hopeful sign. “Prime Minister Key's decision in 2010 not to pursue the pro-mining initiative is testimony to the power of a mobilised public,” he says.

Environment is published in Washington, D.C., for an international audience of academics, scientists and policy makers. Read the full text of the mining article The Myth and Reality of Sustainable New Zealand: Mining in a Pristine Land