This FAQ page provides information on mining and quarrying activities within the Tasman District.
It covers a range of topics, including the types of mining operations present, how these activities are regulated by the Tasman Resource Management Plan (TRMP), and potential impacts of proposed changes like the Fast-track Approvals process.
Specific concerns are also addressed about water quality and protection, particularly in relation to the Te Waikoropupū Springs and Wharepapa Arthur Marble Aquifer.
If you have questions that aren't covered here please email us.
Tasman has a complex geology providing a large array of mineral resources. Current mining can be broken into two basic groups. The first includes aggregates, clay, sand and rock that are mined from alluvial deposits and hard rock quarries. The second mining group is specific minerals such as serpentine, marble, granite, limestone, dolomite and alluvial gold. Previously, coal, asbestos, iron and soap stone have been mined in the Tasman District.
Quarrying and mining for minerals, including any rock, gravel or sand, are managed under the Tasman Resource Management Plan (TRMP). Quarrying and mining activities generally require resource consent. Crown-owned minerals such as petroleum, gold, silver and uranium are also managed under the Crown Minerals Act 1991. Prospecting or mining for crown owned minerals requires a permit.
Quarrying and mining activities are principally addressed by rules contained within Chapter 18.5 of the TRMP relating to land disturbance. Under the TRMP, quarrying an area of 50 cubic metres or more in any 12-month period requires consent. Associated activities including any discharge of stormwater to land or freshwater, the taking of water, or other discharges are managed by rules in Chapters 31.1 and 36. When a resource consent is required, a range of conditions may be imposed to control related adverse effects.
Specific quarry areas within Tasman containing some of the significant hard rock resources have been mapped. Rules in Chapter 18.6 and 18.7 relate to these Quarry Areas and the corresponding Residential Activity Restriction Areas to enable extraction in specifically identified areas.
Resource consents and their conditions must relate to the potential environmental effects, including discharges to air, land and water; noise and visual impacts; potential damage to cultural heritage sites; and clearance of indigenous vegetation. Resource consent conditions can also require environmental standards to be met through detailed management and maintenance plans and reporting.
The Land and Freshwater Plan Change (PC84) to the TRMP is under development. Council aims to release a public draft in late 2024. Addressing impacts of land use activities on freshwater values will be elevated and strengthened through PC84. Some freshwater-related content will be added in support of Te Puna Waiora o Te Waikoropupū Springs and Wharepapa Arthur Marble Aquifer Water Conservation Order.
The Fast-track Approvals Bill aims to establish a ‘one stop shop’ to expediate approvals for regionally and nationally significant infrastructure and development projects, which may include mining or quarrying.
Until the Act completes the Parliamentary process and is passed into law, it is difficult to determine what impact the fast-track process will have. Based on what we have seen in the bill to date:
Currently there are no projects listed in Schedule 2A, but if a mining operation in Tasman was to be listed or referred then any application would bypass the usual Council processes for resource consent. However, there are opportunities for Council and iwi involvement in the decision-making process under the Fast-track Approvals Bill.
Firstly, Council and the relevant iwi authority can nominate a member each to sit on the expert panel of four that considers and reports on a listed project or where ministers accept an application and choose to refer it to an expert panel.
Secondly, the expert panel or ministers must invite comments from the relevant council and iwi authority.
Thirdly, when there is an expert panel, the panel must make a recommendation to the joint Ministers either to approve or decline all or part of the project; and include any conditions that should be imposed if the project is approved.
Fourthly, when the joint Ministers are making their decision they must seek and consider comments from other Ministers, local government and relevant Māori groups.
As the Bill stands, once a consent is granted, then Council retains its obligations in relation to monitoring and compliance of a resource consent granted under the Resource Management Act, as if Council had been the consenting party.
There is a substantive list of environmental effects that can be addressed at the consent application stage. They depend on what is proposed and include:
The WCO states that within the Wharepapa Arthur Marble Aquifer Recharge Area, no resource consent may be granted and no rule in a plan may permit the use of water or any discharge that increases nitrates and dissolved reactive phosphorus (DRP) or reduces dissolved oxygen and water clarity at the Springs. Discharge of any contaminants by a mining operation may be captured by the requirement for Council to preserve Te Waikoropupū Springs in their natural state as Te Puna Waiora in accordance with tikanga Māori and to protect the values of the Springs. The value listed in the WCO are:
Te Waikoropupū Springs also have outstanding recreational values.
Consequently, an application for a resource consent where the proposed activity has the potential to add nitrates to the catchment or adversely affect the values of the Springs may be declined. Mining and quarrying both use nitrogen-based explosives and any resource consent application must be assessed on the effects it is likely to produce. The applicants would have to demonstrate any proposed activity would not adversely affect the water quality of the Springs or it’s values.
The following explanation on the effects of blasting from quarrying activities came from a recent Cawthron Institute report.
"Explosives used in quarrying operations are typically composed of ammonium nitrate (NH4NO3). Undetonated explosives and blast residue containing nitrogen compounds can result in leaching of nitrate and ammonia. In an intensive study of contaminants associated with blasting agents in a rock quarry, Bailey et al. (2013) found that there was approximately 5% nitrogen loss from blasting explosives.
Quarrying activities occur in two locations within the AMA recharge area, but limited information is available on the amount of explosives used at these quarries. We anticipate that the contribution of nitrogen from explosives is small relative to the overall catchment nitrogen load. However, it is difficult to confirm this given the lack of data." (Young and Hickey, 2024, p.24)
NIWA resource page
Mining is an intensive use of land which may create permanent fixtures, such as overburden dumps and tailing dams. Mining has the potential to contaminate land and water and restrict any future uses of the land. Kaitiaki (guardian) Tools will help you identify activities and environmental impacts specifically related to mining. Read more
Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research
Coal and gold mining are important economic activities in New Zealand, and the West Coast of the South Island and Southland, for example, have long histories of mining. The process of mineral extraction inevitably results in environmental impacts, but few tools exist to help mining companies and regulators assess and predict environmental impacts of mining operations. Read more.
