Sand miners lack empathy for the environment they work in

KEN RAYWARD
Save Our Sands (SOS)

27 June, 2022

The sand mining business of McCallum Bros has taken a very ill-thought path challenging the decision of Auckland Council in its refusal to grant the offshore mining consent application, and insisting the Environment Court be the final arbitrator .

Choosing to take what is clearly commercial gain only, for McCallum, into an environmental court proceedings arena, can only endorse the broadening understanding that McCallum have little or no empathy with the environmental habitats that their sand dredging operates in.

Auckland Council have stood their ground in what was a brave and well-considered refusal decision, based on the impact to cultural coastal processes and environmental precautionary reasoning, they should be strongly supported in maintaining this position.

To make McCallum’s task to secure their commercial future more difficult, their very own industry has come out – via the media – stating McCallum’s claims that the Auckland construction market will run out of sand for concrete in the near future should they not be granted the consent application as not being fact based.

Three of Auckland’s largest users of sand have not received any contractually required advice advising of any supply disruption, nor were any expected.

History shows that Auckland Council are not on their own in making strong decisions. In August 2004 an Independent Hearing Committee was convened to hear applications lodged with the Northern Regional Council seeking permission to undertake near-shore sand extraction from within the Mangawhai-Pakiri embayment, at a location a few kilometres north of the two new McCallum applications.

The commissioners in that case considered that the adverse effects on the environment as a result of continued sand extraction had the potential to cause adverse effects on the coastline, including the conservation values of the Mangawhai spit including its wildlife habitat and local community character. These adverse effects were considered to be more than minor, and not capable of being controlled or mitigated through the imposition of conditions on the mining operators. The Minister Of Conservation declined the application.

Nothing has changed, except where the miners continue their abuse on our now very fragile coastline.

n We have one last chance to stop it forever. July is the month where everyone in our community can join together to let the miners know enough is enough. See you all Sunday July 10 at 10am on Mangawhai Beach in front of the surf club, where we will form the largest ever human SOS signal – Save Our Sands!