Environment West Coast announced today that they have changed their name to GO West Coast.

The word Environment was causing some confusion, particularly within media and government circles, with the assumption they were a local regulatory authority.

GO West Coast have confirmed today that they are investigating what legal avenues may be open to them should Bathurst Resources be forced to terminate plans to opencast the Escarpment Mine at Denniston.

Chairman Brent Oldham said that the four and a half year resource consent process has obviously cost Bathurst considerable time and expense. GWC is concerned that the longer final approval takes, the more financial and time pressure is being placed on Bathurst – and he wonders just how much more they can take.

“If, at the end of this, Bathurst walk away from this project and cite on-going vexatious litigation from Forest and Bird as being the primary reason for this, then we believe Forest and Bird need to be held accountable. To this end, we are investigating whether a group claim could be initiated.

As part of their access arrangement to the Denniston Plateau, Bathurst Resources has committed to pay $22m to the Department of Conservation to be used on predator and pest controls in the Kahurangi National Park. It seems incredible to us that Forest and Bird seem prepared to risk the single biggest investment  by a private company to the Kahurangi National Park in return for the use of 106 hectares of 2,400 hectare Denniston Plateau that will otherwise, in all likelihood, never have a cent spent on it.

Forest and Bird’s constitution lists advocation of the destruction of introduced species harmful to New Zealand’s flora and fauna as a primary objective, yet their continuing appeals, in this instance, could be shown to contradict this objective.”

Forest and Bird have recently had one appeal to the High Court rejected and are awaiting a decision from the Supreme Court on their last appeal.

ENDS

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