482 Longdale Road, Taieri Ridge - LUC-2016-230 and LUC-2013-225/A - Coronation North Project mining activity

Please Note:
Oceana Gold has also made applications to the Otago Regional Council and Waitaki District Council.  You must submit on those applications separately, to those agencies.  For details on how to do so please visit the following websites:

Otago Regional Council Notified Application

Waitaki District Council Notified Application

Oceana Gold is proposing an extension to the existing consented Coronation project, called the Coronation North Project ("the Project").  It would form part of the wider consented Macraes Gold Project centered at Macraes Flat. The main features of the Project are as follows:

• It is located on the Taieri ridgeline between the features known as Sister Peaks and Highlay Hill, and is situated to the north of Horse Flat Road, and is just over 7.0 km from Macraes Flat Township. Taieri ridgeline forms the catchment divide between Shag River and Taieri River.

• The existing consented Coronation Pit would be increased from a total area of about 62 hectares up to 85 hectares.  It is expected total ore recovery would be approximately 8.5 million tonnes, up from 5 million tonnes.

• A new open pit (Coronation North Pit) would be developed. Coronation North Pit would cover up to 63 hectares and is estimated to contain approximately 9 million tonnes of ore.

• A new waste rock stack (Coronation North Waste Rock Stack) would be constructed to the north-east of the existing Coronation Waste Rock Stack. The total volume of waste rock would be up to 280 million tonnes and would cover up to 230 hectares. The maximum height will be 695mRL.

• The existing Coronation Waste Rock Stack would not be constructed to the fully consented extent. The total volume of waste rock will reduce from a currently consented 94 million tonnes to approximately 29 million tonnes with an area of approximately 41 hectares. This represents a reduction of 64 hectares in area. The consented maximum height of the Coronation Waste Rock Stack will remain at 730 mRL.

• All water from the Coronation North Pit and Coronation North Waste Rock Stack and any overflow from the Coronation Pit lake would be directed to the Mare Burn catchment, a tributary of the Taieri River.

• A freshwater dam may be constructed within Coal Creek catchment. The proposed dam would consist of an embankment with an approximate height of 27m.  The dam would hold about 685 million litres of water when at capacity with a footprint of 9.3ha. The dam would provide a constant water supply downstream, of about 5 litres per second, to supplement naturally occurring low flows in Coal Creek and Mare Burn for water quality purposes.

• The existing haul road would be extended by about 2km to the north to reach the Coronation North Pit.

• The existing Coronation Project land use consent conditions require the unformed Matheson Road to be realigned around the consented Coronation pit and waste rock stack so that an unformed public access (15 metres wide) is restored once mining operations cease. Since the footprints of the Coronation North Pit and Coronation North Waste Rock Stack overlap the consented features Oceana Gold are proposing to identify an alternative route for the realigned Matheson Road.

• The ore would continue to be hauled from the pits to the Macraes processing plant via the existing haul road across Horse Flat Road and along the Golden Point Road alignment to the processing plant. In all other respects, the roading for the Project would remain the same as for the consented Coronation project.

• New temporary buildings (including toilet facilities and crib room) may be established adjacent to the Coronation North Pit. Temporary buildings located by Coronation Pit would remain.

• The portable diesel storage and refueling facility installed adjacent to Coronation Pit would remain.

*    Mining operations would continue to occur 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

• On closure, buildings and other temporary structures would be removed, silt ponds would be decommissioned and likely become stock water ponds, the haul road would be decommissioned and rehabilitated.

• On the completion of mining and rehabilitation Golden Point Road will be reopened for public access.

• The estimated duration of the operation and rehabilitation phases of the Project will be approximately 5 years and the Project will add approximately 3 years of operations to the MGP mine life.