McCallum Bros sets up Q&A site

JULIA WADE

22 Nov, 2021

As the issue of ongoing sandmining and consent applications continues to be highlighted by local environmental groups who now have the backing of Greenpeace Aotearoa, Auckland industrial firm McCallum Brothers Ltd have launched a new website to provide their side of the story to the community.

Topics in the list of the 41 frequently asked questions range from the quality of sand and quantity taken, comparisons of manufactured sand to a natural source, their perspective of the environmental impact from sandmining as well as what measures they take to protect the coastline and sea life, and details of sandmining consents including the recent transfer of a coastal permit from extraction company Kaipara Ltd to McCallum Brothers in October this year.

One of the most commonly asked questions, ‘Why doesn’t the company just mine sand from the Kaipara Harbour?’ which holds similar quality sand and an area the company surveyed and began the consent application process for back in 2006, is also answered. McCallums states the time-consuming ‘enormous cost’ of shipping the sand around Cape Reinga, the volatility of Kaipara’s west coast, or if transporting via road, the calculated 21,000 return truck-and-trailer annual movements on Auckland’s network and increased CO2 emissions as some of the reasons they say which would make the switch unfeasible.

McCallum Brothers’ perspective on what could happen if the company’s three current consents were not granted by Auckland Council was also specified, with the firm stating ‘the construction market would suffer a supply shock’, the limited sand supply affecting Auckland’s infrastructure. They say alternative sourced sand would drive up costs of concrete, projects and housing, and ‘it is likely that extraction activities would need to shifted to Kaipara Harbour’ also resulting in price hikes.

McCallum’s say while they acknowledged Greenpeace Aotearoa has now joined the fight for the sands of Mangawhai/Pakiri, they wished to make no further comment on the environmental organisation’s involvement.

n To check out what McCallum Brothers have to say, visit thenittygritty.co.nz/faqs

McCallum Brothers says the construction market would suffer a supply shock if their sand mining permits were denied. PHOTO/JULIA WADE