April 20, 2023
Environment Court blocks mine on butterfly home
Forest & Bird says it’s time for a mining company to ditch its plan to strip coal from a mountain top near Westport.
The Environment Court has ruled against Stevenson Mining’s planned opencast coal mine at Te Kuha because of the biodiversity values of the site and surrounding wetlands, overturning a 2017 consent.
The project is a limited partnership between Stevenson Group Limited and Gisborne-based Wī Pere Holdings Limited Partnership.
Forest & Bird chief executive Nicola Toki says is a massive win for the climate and biodiversity.
It’s also a victory for New Zealand’s rarest butterfly, the forest ringlet, which has its largest known population at Te Kuha.
She says the decisions shows companies can’t offset or compensate their way out of destroying unique landscapes, plants or animals.