NZ First minister Shane Jones was in Thames on August 15 for a public meeting in support of his party’s electoral candidate for Coromandel, Vincent Andersen. Around 200 people gathered at the Thames Civic Centre to hear them speak.
The meeting also coincided with Greenpeace Aotearoa’s National Day of Action, and a further 200 protesters were on hand to greet the Minister at the door.
The protest was to oppose the development of conservation land and the proposed amendments to the Conservation Bill. Protesters were also specifically concerned about mining company Rua Gold.
“We are rallying today alongside people all over the country who want to protect conservation land for future generations rather than open it up for developments that threaten the habitat,” Coromandel Watchdog chair Catherine Delahunty said.
“We must protect the forests, not the greed of multinational miners.”
Minister Jones was not fazed by the protest action.
“I accept that because I’ve been very pro-mining and pro-investment, pro-jobs and pro-industry, it does attract opposition,” he said.
“I happen to believe that it’s facile for the protesters to pretend that Coromandel can prevail without more industry.
“And it’s also self-defeating to pretend that the broader environment is going to be destroyed if we concede to more mining. Mining now has far more robust guardrails.”
Coromandel Watchdog also held a rally in Whangamatā’s Wentworth Valley and a public meeting on mining threats at Opoutere Hall.
