Today local grandmother Linda Gilmore was found guilty of trespass and fined for blocking a mining company accessing land within the Karangahake conservation area in the Southern Coromandel.

Gilmore, has lived in the area for over 25 years and says Mt Karangahake is the heart of the community and should not be mined.

"I often take my grandchildren walking on the road I blocked, as do many locals and it's ludicrous to allow industrial mining trucks on it, it's barely wide enough for a car! It's simply not safe."

Gilmore is part of the local Protect Karangahake group which has been campaigning for a halt to mining plans within Mt Karangahake and the surrounding conservation land.

Gilmore was arrested on the 13th of August after chaining shut a gate mining company New Talisman Gold Mines uses to access the Karangahake mountain. In court today she was ordered to pay $430 including reparations to the mining company.

"This is a precious piece of conservation land, recovering from previous exploitation, I will not, I cannot sit by and see its integrity and health undermined for the boom and bust gold industry," said Gilmore.

"The world does not need more gold, we need clean water and trees, and frankly here in the Coromandel we also need to protect our economy from dirty industries that threaten our tourism industry."

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