No, totally incorrect. My family are not farmers at all. None of...

No, totally incorrect. My family are not farmers at all. None of them. Never have been. There is already quite a lot of alluvial mining in Golden Bay, and that's been going on since the 1980's (the modern wave) and rock quarrying. All of New Zealand's dolomite supply comes from Golden Bay. Aquaculture is big also, forestry, and one of the largest trucking companies in the South Island originated there so still has a large base. They truck or ship the dolomite out. There are two land based salmon farms, and while kiwfruit horticulture is not as big as it once was, it's still grown in Golden Bay although it is seasonal. And then of course you have all the service personnel for those industries like engineering firms, fuel delivery, building and construction.
You think they don't want to see a mine go ahead?

Diary farming (less than 100 dairy farms in Golden Bay these days) and dairy processing (there is a small factory) would directly employ 350 -400 people so about 7 - 8% of the local population.

I feel your negative slant towards the Sams Creek project could be driven by something else other than risk and economics - am I right?

Let me know if you need any help with your report about the area.