https://sustainabletarras.com/nomine/, http://eepurl.com/jsaheU, https://www.instagram.com/sustaintarras/

Sustainable Tarras, Tarras (2026)

10/10/2026

In case you missed it - it has been reported that there are serious deficiencies in Santana's fast-track application.

From the ODT recently: Kā Rūnaka’s closing legal submissions include that Santana had “inundated the parties and the panel with new information which seeks to ‘repair’ serious deficiencies in the original fast-track application.”

Read the full article in the ODT here: https://www.odt.co.nz/otago/central-otago/to-dig-or-not-to-dig-inside-the-key-santana-mine-arguments-r4h6papi

>> Let's stop this mine. What's the latest, and how can you help?

Santana submitted a fast-track application with dozens of crucial information gaps, missing reports and points of serious concern. What they said would need only 30 days is now taking nearly 15 months from application to final decision. Despite concerns from multiple agencies and groups, Santana is full steam ahead with this controversial application. They show little regard for local people or the environment.

Here's what you can do (and please ask friends, family and your network to help).

Join over 13,000 people (verified emails), and add your voice here: https://eepurl.com/jsaheU.

Other ways to help here:
https://sustainabletarras.com/nomine/ including donating toward experts fees if you can.

All our other links are here: https://t.mtrbio.com/sustainabletarras

09/10/2026

As reported in the Central App recently, Santana’s own experts say net loss for native lizards at Santana’s proposed mine site will be “high”

From the article:

Dr.Tocher gave evidence on behalf of the Department of Conservation, expressing grave concern for the potential loss of thousands of reptiles among the three main species present - the McCanns skink, Kawarau gecko and Southern grass skink.

The feasibility of proposals to catch and relocate the lizards to safe areas was questioned.

Santana’s own expert ecologists noted that the lizards tended to be present across the same types of landscape above where considerable gold deposits may lie. [...]

The experts, Dr Graham Ussher, Keith Barber and Dr Matt Baber [...] did not however change their original assessment of the overall ‘net loss for native lizards” and this remained at a “High” category.

Read the article here: https://centralapp.nz/NewsStory/where-theres-lizards-theres-gold/6abaee29b73afe002e13cd3f

>> Let's stop this mine. What's the latest, and how can you help?

Santana submitted a fast-track application with dozens of crucial information gaps, missing reports and points of serious concern. What they said would need only 30 days is now taking nearly 15 months from application to final decision. Despite concerns from multiple agencies and groups, Santana is full steam ahead with this controversial application. They show little regard for local people or the environment.

Here's what you can do (and please ask friends, family and your network to help).

Join over 13,000 people (verified emails), and add your voice here: https://eepurl.com/jsaheU.

Other ways to help here:
https://sustainabletarras.com/nomine/ including donating toward experts fees if you can.

All our other links are here: https://t.mtrbio.com/sustainabletarras

08/10/2026

After the Environmental Defence Society (EDS) recently raised the alarm that incomplete projects were being allowed into the Fast-Track process, something is finally being done. EDS used Santana’s Fast-Track application as an example. It now appears that the EPA (the government agency which administers the Fast Track process) is cracking down on half-baked projects.

>> Let's stop this mine. What's the latest, and how can you help?

Santana submitted a fast-track application with dozens of crucial information gaps, missing reports and points of serious concern. What they said would need only 30 days is now taking nearly 15 months from application to final decision. Despite concerns from multiple agencies and groups, Santana is full steam ahead with this controversial application. They show little regard for local people or the environment.

Here's what you can do (and please ask friends, family and your network to help).

Join over 13,000 people (verified emails), and add your voice here: https://eepurl.com/jsaheU.

Other ways to help here:
https://sustainabletarras.com/nomine/ including donating toward experts fees if you can.

All our other links are here: https://t.mtrbio.com/sustainabletarras

07/10/2026

There has been a lot of talk of “guardrails”. Shane Jones is quick to say that with Santana’s mine, there will be sufficient guardrails in place to minimise harm. Other cheerleaders of the mine talk about the protections and measures in place.

In this week's leadership debate, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon confirmed that National supports mining of conservation land, "with the guardrails" - many of which have recently been removed by the current government. 👀

The reality is, the guardrails are inadequate to protect the environment and community sufficiently. This is what we are also focused on: “guardrails” - especially in any consent conditions set by the Panel, if they approve the mine.

Ironically, this is also what Santana supporters claim they want in their fast track submission.

>> Let's stop this mine. What's the latest, and how can you help?

Santana submitted a fast-track application with dozens of crucial information gaps, missing reports and points of serious concern. What they said would need only 30 days is now taking nearly 15 months from application to final decision. Despite concerns from multiple agencies and groups, Santana is full steam ahead with this controversial application. They show little regard for local people or the environment.

Here's what you can do (and please ask friends, family and your network to help).

Join over 13,000 people (verified emails), and add your voice here: https://eepurl.com/jsaheU.

Other ways to help here:
https://sustainabletarras.com/nomine/ including donating toward experts fees if you can.

All our other links are here: https://t.mtrbio.com/sustainabletarras

So yes, guardrails are good, provided they actually exist, they’re clear and they’re sufficiently strong to protect us all.

06/10/2026

This is a message we shouldn’t have to share. Personalised attacks and vilifications are simply not on.

Sustainable Tarras will not be distracted by personalised attacks. We will continue to submit evidence to the Panel on the basis that this mine is bad for the region, our local community and is a rotten deal for our country.

And just in case the Panel decides to approve the mine, we will continue to seek the most stringent consent conditions to hold Santana to account.

To those trying to make this personal and divisive: stop the personalised attacks and focus on the issues.

05/10/2026

It appears that Santana executives are comfortable making statements to the media and to shareholders about social engagement and social licence. But they have clearly missed "Social Engagement 101: Bring the community with you."

This speaks volumes

>> Let's stop this mine. What's the latest, and how can you help?

Santana submitted a fast-track application with dozens of crucial information gaps, missing reports and points of serious concern. What they said would need only 30 days is now taking nearly 15 months from application to final decision. Despite concerns from multiple agencies and groups, Santana is full steam ahead with this controversial application. They show little regard for local people or the environment.

Here's what you can do (and please ask friends, family and your network to help).

Join over 13,000 people (verified emails), and add your voice here: https://eepurl.com/jsaheU.

Other ways to help here:
https://sustainabletarras.com/nomine/ including donating toward experts fees if you can.

All our other links are here: https://t.mtrbio.com/sustainabletarras

04/10/2026

Yet another sign that this project should not be rushed through Fast-Track, that Santana’s controversial project is too risky, and that the Australian mining company simply cannot be trusted.

Late last month, EDS alerted the Panel to a significant error in Santana’s calculations that may make tailings dam seepage less likely to be detected. In a key part of their report, Santana’s expert had effectively divided by 1,000, rather than multiplying.

Did Santana own their significant mistake? Of course not.

Instead, they characterised it as “a typographical error” - not even acknowledging that the maths was incorrect - and added that it “does not alter the conclusion” of their expert’s report.

Really? If this is how loose they are about their obvious mathematical error, how can we trust them on anything?

If they think it’s ok to write off a significant error like this, and call it a “typo”, surely that increases the risk that the rest of their application may have further unacknowledged errors?

Read about the calculation error on the Fast-Track website here:https://www.fasttrack.govt.nz/__data/assets/pdf_file/0021/36084/260918-EDS-Morgan-supplementary-Burgess-calculation-Final_Redacted.pdf

>> Let's stop this mine. What's the latest, and how can you help?

Santana submitted a fast-track application with dozens of crucial information gaps, missing reports and points of serious concern. What they said would need only 30 days is now taking nearly 15 months from application to final decision. Despite concerns from multiple agencies and groups, Santana is full steam ahead with this controversial application. They show little regard for local people or the environment.

Here's what you can do (and please ask friends, family and your network to help).

Join over 13,000 people (verified emails), and add your voice here: https://eepurl.com/jsaheU.

Other ways to help here:
https://sustainabletarras.com/nomine/ including donating toward experts fees if you can.

All our other links are here: https://t.mtrbio.com/sustainabletarras

03/10/2026

In case you missed the recent ODT article - also published in the Sun yesterday. To dig or not to dig: inside the key Santana mine arguments.

"After seven months of intense debate and legal exchanges Santana's bid to mine a slice of Central Otago is boiling down to a handful of crucial issues. Mary Williams covers the arguments ..."

The article goes on to cover some of the key aspects of the proposed mine which are of significant concern to independent experts. There are still many areas where they are at odds with Santana's conclusions, proposals or reports.

We share parts of the article here and in upcoming posts. But you can read the full article in the ODT here: https://www.odt.co.nz/otago/central-otago/to-dig-or-not-to-dig-inside-the-key-santana-mine-arguments-r4h6papi

>> Let's stop this mine. What's the latest, and how can you help?

Santana submitted a fast-track application with dozens of crucial information gaps, missing reports and points of serious concern. What they said would need only 30 days is now taking nearly 15 months from application to final decision. Despite concerns from multiple agencies and groups, Santana is full steam ahead with this controversial application. They show little regard for local people or the environment.

Here's what you can do (and please ask friends, family and your network to help).

Join over 13,000 people (verified emails), and add your voice here: https://eepurl.com/jsaheU.

Other ways to help here:
https://sustainabletarras.com/nomine/ including donating toward experts fees if you can.

All our other links are here: https://t.mtrbio.com/sustainabletarras

01/10/2026

This just in from Newsroom, also reporting on the likely pause in Santana's Fast-Track application.

“It has been almost a year since Santana Minerals applied [...] In that time there have been two pauses in the processing of the application, due to additional information being required by assessors.

The [Fast-Track application] has cost $3.03m so far, senior communications advisor to the Environmental Protection Agency Jessica Rowley reveals to Newsroom. This figure includes central and local government costs and fees to the panel convener and panel members, all of which are recoverable from the applicant.

Yesterday panel chair Matthew Muir KC gave Santana’s subsidiary company, Matakanui Gold Ltd, two days to advise how they could remedy unsatisfactory proposals that he believed did not ensure future public access to parts of the site. Complexities have arisen over land tenure and vehicular access due to conveyancing requirements and because part of the site is public conservation land. [...]

“The panel therefore invites Matakanui Gold Ltd to urgently consider how the necessary level of certainty is to be achieved,” Muir says. “If a satisfactory response is not possible within two working days, it further invites Matakanui Gold Ltd to request a processing pause until it is able to do so.” [...]

the project’s bunny-hop through the fast-track process has seen processing delayed twice due to requests for further information from the panel. The latest of a dozen requests asks for all the raw data from surveys of lizards at the site. [...]

The application now covers over 10,000 pages, with some questions put to experts regarding environmental impacts remaining unanswered due to time constraints. [...]

The 30-day processing period requested initially by Santana has stretched into 14 months and may extend longer if a third pause is needed.” [...]

Santana Minerals was approached for comment but did not respond before deadline."

Read the full article here: https://newsroom.co.nz/2026/10/02/record-costs-blow-out-as-giant-central-otago-goldmine-fast-track-stalls-again/

>> Let's stop this mine: add your voice here: https://eepurl.com/jsaheU.

01/10/2026

In the news this morning ... Santana faces ANOTHER pause as tight deadline is set by the Panel.

From the ODT:

“The prospect of a pause of the entire application is looming for Santana Minerals as questions are raised over an agreement over covenants not yet set in stone. [...]

The panel have reached the stage where they are considering conditions. The latest minute by fast-track panel chairman Matthew Muir, KC, centred around the State Highway 8 realignment, the new Ardgour Rise Rd and access to the Come in Time (CIT) Battery, a historic gold mine relic. It has also questioned whether Santana was aware of the process of selling Crown land. [...]

The panel stressed urgency on a reply from Santana. “The panel therefore invites MGL [Matakanui Gold Ltd] … to urgently consider how the necessary level of certainty is to be achieved. “If a satisfactory response is not possible within two working days, it further invites MGL to request a processing pause until it is able to do so,” Mr Muir said. [...]

“The Panel understands that there is an apparent consensus between all experts that the proposed alignment needs considerable refinement and there is no current agreement as to route,” Mr Muir said. The panel could not approve the new route on an undetermined location and neither could it defer the decision, he said. [...]

Santana Minerals was contacted for comment, but did not reply by deadline."

Read the full article here: https://www.odt.co.nz/otago/central-otago/santana-faces-another-pause-as-tight-deadline-set-by-panel-v1phkqln

>> Let's stop this mine. What's the latest, and how can you help?

Santana submitted a fast-track application with dozens of crucial information gaps, missing reports and points of serious concern.

Here's what you can do (and please ask friends, family and your network to help).

Join over 13,000 people (verified emails), and add your voice here: https://eepurl.com/jsaheU.

Other ways to help here:
https://sustainabletarras.com/nomine/ including donating toward experts fees if you can.

All our other links are here: https://t.mtrbio.com/sustainabletarras

Sustainable Tarras

10/10/2026

09/10/2026

08/10/2026

07/10/2026

06/10/2026

05/10/2026

04/10/2026

03/10/2026

01/10/2026

01/10/2026

Address

Website

Alerts

Contact The Organization

Shortcuts

Share

Category

Listing takedown request