Ann: GENERAL: NTL: Judicial Review Proceedings Discontinued

• Release Date: 11/06/15 16:05
• Summary: GENERAL: NTL: Judicial Review Proceedings Discontinued
• Price Sensitive: No
• Download Document  5.07KB

					NTL
11/06/2015 16:05
GENERAL
PRICE SENSITIVE
REL: 1605 HRS New Talisman Gold Mines Limited

GENERAL: NTL: Judicial Review Proceedings Discontinued

11 June 2015
JUDICIAL REVIEW PROCEEDINGS DISCONTINUED

New Talisman Gold Mines resource consents secure
New Talisman Gold Mines (NTL or the Company) is delighted to announce that
Protect Karangahake has resolved to discontinue its application for a
judicial review of the decision to grant the Company resource consents to
undertake bulk sampling and exploration activities at the historic Talisman
mine site.
NTL Chief Executive, Matthew Hill, said today that he considered the
resolution to discontinue the application had been made in the face of
overwhelming evidence filed in the High Court that Hauraki District Council
had processed the Company's resource consent application strictly in
accordance with the relevant provisions of the Resource Management Act and
the Hauraki District plan.

 "We are not overly surprised that Protect Karangahake has resolved to
withdraw.  Both NTL an HDC were prepared to vigorously defend the consent
process with detailed factual evidence and affidavits. The Council should
take great satisfaction from this decision which confirms it has sound
systems in place to process applications.  I congratulate the Council on the
robust rebuttal it provided in response to all the matters raised in the
application for a judicial review", Matthew said.

The Talisman mine has been mined on and off over the last 100 years and has
been a significant gold producer during that period. NTL, formerly Heritage
Gold, has held the permit for over 20 years. Its historic workings have
become the centrepiece of tourism in the area which has grown significantly
in recent years.
NTL understands that the Council considered that conservation, visual,
amenity, recreation, heritage and cultural values would be maintained during
the project and appropriate measures would be put in place to ensure that all
effects identified would be avoided, remedied or mitigated.  Accordingly it
concluded that there was no reason for notification of the resource consent
application.

The Company continues to extend an offer to any concerned members of the
community to meet and allow New Talisman the opportunity to explain the scale
of its proposed operations.
The current project is similar in scope to the previous two phases of
exploration undertaken by the company in 2003-2004 and again in 2005 through
to 2006.  Hill says New Talisman is not seeking to undertake surface
exploration as the company is only operating within the existing underground
mine shafts.  "Because the operations will be underground and within the
footprint of the historic mine, the impact on flora and fauna is minimal. The
Hauraki District Council and its independent consultant as well as the
Department of Conservation recognised this, and that is why they granted the
access agreement and resource consent applying some of the toughest
environmental controls in the world."

From both an environmental and economic perspective, the project is positive
for the area. "It is our longstanding view that mining, tourism and the
community can work in harmony and a balance can be struck between protecting
the natural environment while providing vital employment opportunities to the
community," Hill says.
From information put into the public domain the company considered the
applicant for the judicial review misunderstood the scale and nature of the
bulk sampling and exploration operations NTL intends to undertake. The
consents granted are for a very limited bulk sampling operation with
restrictions on daily truck movements, and allows no water discharge into the
river system.

The benefits from re-establishing exploration activity in the area are
potentially significant.   Direct economic benefits include the total
expenditure of approximately $1.8 million as well as employment for
approximately six people with wages and expenditure spent locally as part of
general operational business expenses in the first phase with further
significant opportunities with exploration projects being carried on in the
area.

NTL is currently completing an offer to its shareholders to raise further
funds to expand its operational reach and develop the full suite of
activities.
Matthew Hill commented "With the completion of an agreement with a major
investor and a generous offer to our long supporting shareholders the company
is well positioned to initiate its plans and expand such into other areas
currently under application or held by the company. The company will now
complete it Traffic Management Plan and embark on the development of this
exciting and highly productive project for which the valid consents allow up
to 20,000 cubic metres a year to be extracted from the mine."

Matthew Hill
CEO
New Talisman Gold Mines Limited
Direct +64 27 5557737
[email protected]

Media Enquiries contact Jillian Talbot at Reach Consulting on +64 21 493820
or at [email protected]
For more information on New Talisman Gold Mines go to www.newtalisman.co.nz
End CA:00265557 For:NTL    Type:GENERAL    Time:2015-06-11 16:05:34