d.o.c access permit process.....

to axclude a public consultation process... At least Forest and Bird are saying they will not have a say in that process according to the following article in "The News"

Mining needs public
consultation?

"Forest & Bird is calling on the government to
honour the promise it made last year to let all New
Zealanders have a say about plans to mine public
conservation land.
Keeping this promise could help protect the
West Coast’s Denniston Plateau from an opencast
coal mine, said Forest & Bird Top of the South
field officer Debs Martin.
“So far, the government has failed to keep the
promise made after it backed down on opening
key conservation areas like national parks to mining,”
said Ms Martin.
“The government promised to give all New
Zealanders a say in future plans to mine public
land. But it looks like the government is breaking
that promise, and will not give people the chance
to have their say about the proposed 200-hectare
open-cast mine on the Denniston Plateau.”
When the government last year reversed its decision
to open national parks to mining, it made a
clear promise that the public would get the right to
comment on access agreements for all significant
mine proposals on public land, including conservation
land, she said.
Forest & Bird had been asking Conservation
Minister Kate Wilkinson to keep National’s word
and allow public submissions on the mine that
Australian-owned Bathurst Resources planned for
the Denniston Plateau. So far, Ms Wilkinson had
not agreed to invite public comments on the access
arrangement.
The proposed mine would be the largest opencast
coal mine on public conservation land, and
eventually lead to a 50 percent increase in New
Zealand’s coal production.
“If the open-cast coal mine goes ahead, many
rare and threatened native plants and animals will
be in serious danger, including our great spotted
kiwi, South Island kaka and West Coast green
gecko,” said Ms Martin.
“These native animals are struggling to survive,
and the Denniston Plateau is a unique part of New
Zealand where they are safe – for now.”
“It’s an anomaly that mining is the only activity
on conservation land that doesn’t require public
notification, and the government promised to fix
this last year. They should show good faith by
keeping the promise made to the vast numbers of
New Zealanders who last year said they wanted
our most important conservation land protected
from mining.”
Forest & Bird has proposed a 5900 hectare
reserve to protect Denniston Plateau’s nature and
heritage.
Last year Energy Minister Gerry Brownlee and
Conservation Minister Kate Wilkinson said in a
media release that the government had agreed in
principal that significant applications to mine on
public land should be publicly notified.
Currently no notification is required.
The ministers said government had noted public
feedback on this matter and was responding accordingly.
“The proposal will ensure that mining-related
applications are treated in the same way as other
applications for access to conservation land. The
change will provide an opportunity for affected
people and businesses to have their views taken
into account when decisions are made about mining
applications of significance.”"


Sounds like an election outcome may well be followed by access permits quicker than I had anticipated, as I was expecting a public hearing process. I must say this whole D.O.C process is very bewildering. Lots of contradicting guidance here

Viney