Based on data from economic consulting and forecasting company, Infometrics, the Mining industry in New Zealand delivered over $490,000 of GDP per filled job in the year to March 2023. Currently there are just over 2,000 full time mining jobs in New Zealand.

Regionally, the mining industry was the single largest contributor to GDP, as it has been for 17 of the last 22 years, in the Hauraki District, where OceanaGold operates the Waihi Operation with 350 employees.

In the Hauraki District, at a value of $640,000 of GDP per filled job in the year to March 2023, mining was almost double that of the second highest productive industry.

As the largest mining operation in the area, OceanaGold takes its health, safety, environmental, social and community obligations seriously and has enormous pride in its investment in people and performance.

New Zealand General Manager Corporate and Legal Affairs, Alison Paul, said with over 30 years of operating in New Zealand, OceanaGold takes a long-term view.

“We believe in applying responsible mining practices to our operations as well as having meaningful relationships with the communities in which we operate,” Alison said.

“For example, last year the Company committed to reduce carbon emissions per ounce of gold produced by 30% by 2030 in support of their goal of net zero operational greenhouse gas emissions by 2050,” she said.

The productivity data shows mining has been the most productive industry in New Zealand since 2008, with the Waihi Operation contributing over $127 million dollars in total expenditure (excluding payroll) to the New Zealand economy in 2022 alone.

Opportunities for employees in mining are rewarding as well, with the average salary at the Waihi Operation above $100,000 per annum, well above the national average.

“This economic contribution to New Zealand is the product of years of investment, robust processes, strong relationships with our external stakeholders and most importantly the attitude and dedication of our highly experienced people. We could not be prouder,” Alison said.

OceanaGold directly employs approximately 1,000 people across its Waihi and Macraes Operations in New Zealand.

*Infometrics data for the Hauraki District, available at https://ecoprofile.infometrics.co.nz/hauraki%2bdistrict/Productivity/IndustryProductivity

Hard questions are being asked right now by the sustainability team at OceanaGold’s Waihi Operation. For a town that’s known gold since it was first discovered in the 1800s and depends on its continued success, the community is looking to the Company to deliver a meaningful contribution and help secure its future.

“In simple terms, we have a responsibility to set Waihi up for success – both now and into the future when our children and children’s children will be living their lives here,” Kyle said.

Over the last 12 months, the team has developed a ‘Life of Mine Sustainability Strategy Framework’, which outlines how the Company will align its operational performance with local aspirations, values and culture.

The Framework takes a shared value approach and outlines how OceanaGold will endeavour to be a trusted partner by contributing to the wellbeing of Waihi through partnerships that deliver sustainable outcomes for the life of mine and beyond.

“As a responsible miner, we are committed to leaving a positive legacy and actively contributing to the sustainable development of the local community post mining,” Kyle said.

“Our Contribution to sustainable development refers to the strategies and actions we will take towards the sustainable economic and social development of Waihi – steps that we can take now and that continue to make positive impacts well beyond the end of our involvement.

“Unlike impact management, sustainable development is outcome-based and uses natural resources to meet the needs of all people, without compromising future generations and the environment.

“The community rightly has an expectation that as a mining operation, we will manage our effects, for example water management or the health and safety of our workforce. Those things are non-negotiable and are stringently managed by us and reported to our regulators.

“However, there’s also an expectation of the community that’s not as vocal, prominent or actively thought about. And that is: what do we leave behind?

“We know the community most definitely expects to have a say in that – and to be our partner to deliver a prosperous future for the town – and that’s why we will be taking this Framework to the community and getting their thoughts and ideas.”

If consented, the Project has the potential to produce over 1.6 million ounces of gold and over 2.2 million ounces of silver over a 13-year period, complementing the already consented Martha Underground, and extending the life of the mine at Waihi to 2037.

“As part of the project, we are committed to working collaboratively with our local communities to create opportunities, build resilience, and leave a positive, long-lasting legacy – well beyond the mining life cycle,” Kyle said.

“My one-year-old daughter will go to school here – I want this to be a place she can grow up and thrive in her education and life. So, it’s comforting that people at OceanaGold genuinely care about operating in a way that sees benefits flow to the next generation.

“The Sustainability Team have spent the last couple of years talking, and thinking about, how we can better contribute to Waihi. I’m looking forward to putting this thinking in to practice and starting to actively discuss those potential contributions with our community.”

For more information about the Waihi Operation visit https://www.waihigold.co.nz/

Perched on the edge of the Lone Pine Reservoir stands the Macraes Flat Trout hatchery, one of only two of its kind in New Zealand. Here, between 5,000 and 8,000 rainbow trout are reared annually to be released in ‘put-and-take’ fisheries around Otago for local licensed anglers to catch. The unique setup, located on the edge of the footprint of the active mine site, is jointly operated by the OceanaGold Macraes Operation and Fish & Game Otago.  

Like many innovation projects born out of the Macraes Operation, the partnership started out as just an idea. At the time, conservation organisation Fish & Game New Zealand were closing the Bullock Creek hatchery in Wanaka around 221km away from the mine site. Avid fisherman and Processing Operator Greg Caldwell saw an opportunity to bring the hatchery to Macraes and suggested the Lone Pine Reservoir would make for a great new home, utilising the water pumped from the Taieri River to benefit the community before it joined the processing cycle to produce gold.  

Together, with in-kind help from several local contractors, Fish & Game Otago and the OceanaGold Macraes Operation built the hatchery in 2004. This saw Fish & Game responsible for providing the hatchery equipment, stocking the hatchery and releasing the fish, while OceanaGold provided the building and water and managed care of day-to-day operations, including monitoring the water temperature and flow from the Control Room of the Processing Plant.  

The secret to the hatchery’s success is the natural cyclical replenishment of the trout. Fertilised eggs are incubated before hatching into fry and maturing to a size where they can be released. Fertile rainbow trout habitually return to the water race adjacent to the hatchery from the nearby Lone Pine Reservoir when the water reaches a tropical 8 degrees Celsius. Here Fish & Game collect the eggs and sperm from the fish before they are released back into the reservoir and the cycle begins again.  

Since its commissioning the hatchery has continued to populate dams and reservoirs across Otago with rainbow trout. These waters are chosen as they have no natural spawning or recruitment areas but are important angling destinations, so they rely on the hatchery for fish.  

The OceanaGold Macraes Operation General Manager Mike Fischer said the benefits of the hatchery are realised for both the wider and local community, making the partnership even better.  

“We keep some of the trout to populate the Macraes Lone Pine Reservoir as well, so this allows us to host community events like Take a Kid Fishing days where local kids have a chance to catch fish from the reservoir with their family,” Mr Fischer said.  

From an initial capital expenditure of NZ$60,000 nearly 20-years ago, the hatchery partnership with Fish & Game continues to demonstrate how we create shared value with our stakeholders to benefit our communities.  

Today, I am proud to share our new Company Vision, Values, and Success Ingredients – together with our Purpose, known collectively as The OceanaGold Way – that will drive our business forward.

In developing the renewed Vision and Values and introducing Success Ingredients – or behaviours – I engaged widely and opened up the discussion to representatives across our workforce. What emerged from these discussions were insightful foundations for success, an incredibly valuable learning opportunity for me and a great illustration of the benefit of one of the Values, being Teamwork. The final product I share with you now reflects and represents the collective perspectives of our people – and I am proud to be part of the OceanaGold team who will bring The OceanaGold Way to life over the coming years.

Our Purpose is mining gold for a better future.

Our Vision is to be a company people trust, want to work and partner with, supply and invest in, to create value.

Our Values are Care, Respect, Integrity, Performance and Teamwork.

I wanted to share my thoughts on these Values, which are the most fundamental element of The OceanaGold Way:

	Care | we care for the safety, health and well-being of our people, the environment and local communities I believe care is the most important of our Values. If we genuinely care about the safety and wellbeing of people, the communities in which we operate and the environment, then every decision we make and action we take becomes easier. Any perceived success in other aspects of our business will be overshadowed if we do not exhibit this value of Care.
	Respect | we respect and listen to each other, embracing different views and diversity in all its forms This is about listening and embracing diversity, embracing new ways of thinking and learning from our colleagues and partners across the world. Respect is the basis of creating trust and the platform to identify and realise opportunities.
	Integrity | we do the right thing and take accountability to deliver on our commitments At the most basic level, integrity is about doing the right thing and what we promise to do, taking accountability for our commitments, even when no one is watching.
	Performance | we strive for excellence through learning, continuous improvement and innovating We are operationally disciplined, striving for excellence and viewing every experience as an opportunity to learn and grow. Excellence is very much about the journey as well as the destination. We improve through our focus on learning and innovation.
	Teamwork | we achieve great outcomes by everyone contributing and working together  We achieve better outcomes when everyone contributes and works together. There are few roles that can thrive alone, and we encourage collaboration, coaching and celebrating our achievements.

The Vision and Values are supported by the following ‘Success Ingredients’, which are six behaviours we will apply every day to ensure we realise our Vision and be a great place to work.

We will succeed when we:

• are open and trusting, communicating and sharing knowledge
• are inspired and aligned by shared goals
• think like business owners to safely and responsibly maximise production, reduce cost and increase returns
• speak up, contribute and take action
• are operationally disciplined and do the basic things well
• motivate, coach and celebrate people’s contributions and achievement.

Our growth plans for 2023 and beyond are ambitious. With the strong foundations in place in this new OceanaGold Way, the Company is in a good position to realise its full potential.

I look forward to our next chapter of growth together and us all giving life to the new Vision, Values and Success Ingredients every day.

Gerard Bond
President and CEO

At the forefront of this work is Megan Williams, the Environmental Advisor who supports the restoration project to ensure it is on track.

“The ultimate goal is to leave a site that we have restored as best as we can with the most up to date technology”, says Williams. “I want the work here to reflect that we didn’t take any shortcuts and that OceanaGold takes the environmental side of gold mining seriously”.

To date more than 800,000 trees have been planted on the site comprising silver beach, mountain beach, red beach and Manuka.

The establishment of a clean and functioning wetland has been a highlight of the project to date, as not only flora and fauna have thrived but so too have native wildlife.

“The wetland plants have done better than we originally thought and in a shorter time frame”, explains Williams. “It’s been amazing to see the return of native species to make this their home”.

The project is shaping significant progress and earlier this year public consultation began on how best for the area to be used moving forward where it will be returned to public ownership through the Department of Conservation.

“Long after OceanaGold leaves the site I believe people will be surprised to think that a gold mine was ever here” states Williams.

OceanaGold has signed a five-year partnership with the Department of Conservation (DoC) to expand on work funded with DoC as part of an original compensation agreement to continue predator control at Maruia on the West Coast to protect endemic long-tailed bats.

“That project has been so long-standing we have basically covered several generations of bats,” says Alison Paul, the company’s general manager for corporate and legal affairs.

OceanaGold’s five-year partnership will enable the department to expand work to protect long-tailed bats under Te Maruia Waka Huia – ‘the Maruia Treasure Box’ programme.

This integrated species programme has been designed to enhance biodiversity values at key sites within the Maruia Valley. At current state, the programme provides predator suppression through trapping over 4010 hectares targeting rats, stoats and possums.

The work under this integrated species programme provides protection to existing threatened species populations of long-tailed bats – Pekapeka – or Chalinolobus tuberculatus, black-billed gulls, South Island kaka and whio, using a combination of predator trapping and landscape predator control.

Expansion of work enabled through this partnership will strengthen existing infrastructure and increase predator protection for long-tailed bats over a further 348 hectares targeting rats, stoats and feral cats.

Knowledge

This partnership will also help DoC increase its current understanding of two long-tailed bat colonies, their size, structure, and recruitment, as well as the distribution of long-tailed bats throughout the Maruia valley.

A long-term objective for Te Maruia Waka Huia is to have consistently kept rat and stoat predator numbers in the Marble Hill area below 5 per cent. This could enable threatened species re-introduction at this site, which OceanaGold has agreed to support.

Maruia is a hotspot for the long-tailed bat, one of New Zealand’s two remaining indigenous bat species.

Unlike its largely ground-foraging distant cousin, the short-tailed bat, the long-tailed is an aerial insectivore, and part of a widely distributed family of bats, in Australia and elsewhere.

Scope

Once common throughout New Zealand, the bats started becoming scarce 100 years ago due to habitat loss and predation, mainly by possums, rats and stoats.

Today Chalinolobus tuberculatus is a critically endangered species. Conservation work focuses on Maruia, and areas such as the Eglinton valley near Te Anau, Fiordland, and Pureora forest west of Lake Taupō.

The department also uses free-standing “harp” traps to catch lactating females or new mothers, and then fit them with miniature radio transmitters to track them back to colony roosts and catch the roost to understand colony size, structure, recruitment and, over years, monitor population trends.

Globe Progress update

The closed Globe Progress open pit gold mine is showcased in OceanaGold’s sustainability report for 2021, published in late May.

At that stage the company had rehabilitated more than 131 hectares of 260 hectares of disturbed ground in Victoria Conservation Park.

That includes the planting of about 850,000 native seedlings across the site.

OceanaGold plans to plant an additional estimated 150,000 beech and mānuka seedlings by December 2023/2024, which is the scheduled end of the planting programme.

As well, the company planted 44,000 littoral species last year on the margins of Fossickers Lake, the former tailings storage facility, and Globe Pit Lake, the former open pit.

The company will plant a further 20,000 seedlings this year to complete these areas.

To date, 85 per cent of the disturbed area has been replanted, with just under 30 hectares left to re-establish.

The Archey’s frog is a living fossil, largely un-evolved from 150 million years ago, and is one of New Zealand’s only native frog species.

The endangered species is about the size of your thumbnail and is currently found in only three locations throughout the Waikato.

One of those locations is Wharekirauponga, where OceanaGold’s Waihi Operation is proposing to develop an underground gold mine.

As part of the mine consenting process OceanaGold has to provide enough information to demonstrate that the proposed mining activity will not have a negative impact on the frogs habitat and population.

With limited existing research to give insight, OceanaGold has assembled a team of highly experienced conservationists to get to know the species better than ever.

What has resulted is some of the most insightful research collected on the species to date and literally seeing more than ever before of this notoriously hard to find amphibian in its natural environment. This research suggests suggest the amphibian’s numbers on the Coromandel Peninsula are estimated to be 54.8 million.

“It has to have been raining, reasonably warm and at night before they show themselves”, says Cassie McArthur, OceanaGold Senior Environmental Advisor. “You think you’re never going to find them and then there they are!”

Cassie, a former Department of Conservation ranger, has been deeply involved in the study on the frog species for the past two years.

“Before we started this work there had only been limited and sporadic research, but now our understanding has grown exponentially. OceanaGold’s commitment to preservation and bio-diversity means we now have the knowledge and resources to ensure clear ways to protect and help see the Archey’s frog thrive”.

Waihī LandSAR can now tackle tough terrain for search and rescue in a new ute donated by OceanaGold.

Waihī LandSAR is a group of 24 volunteers available 24/7 to undertake search and rescue missions in Waihī and other urban and remote areas in Waikato and Bay of Plenty.
Chairman Darren Butler told The Profile the new four wheel drive dual cab ute would be a “huge asset” for the group.

“We do quite a bit of travel out of the area to assist with neighbouring search operations and regional training… but up until now we’ve all just relied on our own personal vehicles for transport to get anywhere. So to have a group vehicle available is a huge asset,” he said.
“[It] reduces the burden on the individuals… and being four wheel drive we get to do the areas that are out in the middle of nowhere so the four wheel drive side of things will be absolutely great for us.”

Darren said OceanaGold’s generosity to donate the ute to Waihī LandSAR, which had undertaken around five search and rescue missions this year, was “greatly appreciated.”

“Any income we get we need to fundraise ourselves… if [the new ute] wasn’t going to be from a donation, we probably couldn’t afford to go purchasing it and certainly nothing to the calibre of the vehicle they’ve just given us, so greatly appreciated,” he said.

Darren said the next step was to get a canopy, deck liner and towbar for the new ute to carry specialised equipment, which included stretchers and ropes.

OceanaGold said it won the ute in a Farm Source promotion and after recognising other organisations would benefit from the vehicle, decided to donate it to Waihī LandSAR due to its strong local presence and dedicated team of volunteers.

OceanaGold general manager operations Matt Hine said LandSar devoted hundreds of hours each year, with responses ranging from searching for lost hikers to helping locate family members suffering Dementia or Alzheimers.

“It’s a fantastic organisation which at its core represents reuniting loved ones [and] OceanaGold in conjunction with Waihī Farm Source are proud to support their ongoing work through the donation of the vehicle,” he said.

The Jumpstart Navigator program is a partnership between OceanaGold, Waihi College, local Police, Waihi community members and Blue Light – a charity that works with Police to help local young people – and has been designed for young people who may not have access to a reliable vehicle or no licenced adult to teach them how to drive.

Waihi Operation Community Development Advisor, Phil Salmon, said the Jumpstart was launched in February, after discussions with Waihi College about how OceanaGold could provide additional support for students transitioning to work.

“New Zealand has a graduated driver licensing system which means drivers move from a learner to a restricted and then a full licence over two years,” Phil said.

“While the system is designed to help train safe drivers, it can be difficult for young people who do not have regular access to a vehicle or someone to supervise them,” he said.

“The young people who face these barriers are often at-risk youth, and not having a driver’s licence can further perpetuate this by severely limiting employment opportunities.”

Waihi College Careers Co-ordinator, Carolyn Graveson, said without a licence, many young people, especially those in rural areas like Waihi, with no public transport, were disadvantaged.

“It means these students can’t drive a vehicle to work or to a training provider,” Carolyn said.

“Many jobs require a licence before they will employ you, so a program like Jumpstart can have a real, local impact,” she said.

Hauraki District Council Community Employment Liaison Officer, Julie Stephenson, said with the Jumpstart program, Waihi College students got driver training during school hours in a vehicle provided and maintained by OceanaGold.

“To date, eight community members have been trained as Navigators and are rostered on for two hours each week to drive with Waihi College students,” Julie said.

We have 23 students on the course, with over 100 hours of driver training delivered in the first two months,” she said.

“OceanaGold provides and maintains the vehicle, Waihi College organises the driving schedule, Blue Light staff train the Navigator and Waihi students benefit. It’s a great program.”

Hamish is the first Waihi College student to gain his Restricted Licence through the program and said it had been a huge help.

“The program helped get my driving confidence up. I had a lot more time on the road, and the Navigators gave me some great advice that really helped me pass my test,” Hamish said.

More than 40 First Nations people and affiliated researchers from across New Zealand, Canada and Australia came together last November to discuss the impacts of mining and mine site closure on their lands.

The Indigenous Exchange Forum: Transitions in Mine Closure was the culmination of many discussions by the Centre for Social Responsibility in Mining (CSRM) Social Aspects of Mine Closure Research Consortium, of which OceanaGold is a founding member.

The Consortium was established in 2019 to conduct research that challenges accepted industry norms and practices and demands new approaches that place people at the centre of mine closure.

Senior Research Fellow at the University of Queensland, Dr Sarah Holcombe, said the purpose of the Forum was to build an international network across Indigenous communities to enable the sharing of experiences, struggles, and sentiments in relation to mine site transition and mine-related impacts on their lands.

“The Forum was an opportunity for Indigenous people to come together in a safe, open environment where all views were listened to and nothing was off the table,” Dr Holcombe said.

“For some of the participants, there was a lot of hurt and emotion shared, and for others it provided an opportunity to learn about best practice engagement that offered insights into new ways for industry and First Nations people to work together,” she said.

“By sharing stories, experiences, and the journey they have been on, the participants reaffirmed the need for intergenerational healing – or possibilities for healing.”

Multiple Māori iwi – the customary land-holding family groups – in Aotearoa, New Zealand who have rights and interests over OceanaGold’s three mine sites (the Waihi and Macraes Operations and Reefton Restoration Project), participated in the Forum.

“Collectively, the participants shared powerful insights about their experiences with the mines in the context of frontier battles, settler colonialism, and mine closure,” Dr Holcombe said.

“This included connection to Country, experiences of past mine closure, and concerns, expectations and aspirations about forthcoming closure.”

OceanaGold EVP – Sustainability, Sharon Flynn, said continuous improvement in social performance, and in particular, iwi and community engagement, was ingrained in the company’s culture.

“As a responsible miner, we own our past, our present and our future. And, by being an active member of the CSRM, we have participated in projects that have allowed for direct and unfiltered feedback, which have positively challenged our company, and are key to our growth in the future,” Sharon said.

OceanaGold is guided by an External Affairs and Social Performance Manual, which outlines policies and processes to identify and analyse how the company impacts the communities where it operates. Importantly, it guides the company to align its operational performance with local aspirations, values and cultures.

“We are on a journey of continuous improvement, and we understand that involves learning from the past, creating space for healing, and establishing collaborative and respectful engagement processes that deliver mutual outcomes,” Sharon said.

While Dr Holcombe noted that “what we’ve learned from this research, and the Forum in particular, is that mine closure offers an opportunity to mend and reset relationships. It’s never too late to start that journey.”

“There’s a legacy mining companies must take on board as part of their social performance, and continuous and close engagement with First Nations people forms part of that important process, especially in the transition from operations to closure,” Dr Holcombe said.

“The Forum dialogue echoed that sentiment. As a collective, the participants affirmed their willingness and commitment to continue to share, culturally connect and realise a way forward that is informed by intergenerational First Nation impacts,” she said.

“For mining companies, developing long-term governance systems that are culturally informed is a crucial step.”

Read the full report here.

The Carolina Heelsplitter – a freshwater mussel – is one of the rarest species on the planet. Now, thanks to collective work led by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and funded by the Haile Gold Mine, the Carolina Heelsplitter has a better chance at survival than it has had in decades.

Morgan Wolf, is the USFWS’ lead National Recovery Biologist for the Carolina Heelsplitter project. For the past several years, Morgan and her team have been working hard to save this critical species.

In 2017, for the first time in recorded history, they released the initial batch of lab-raised heelsplitters in Flat Creek. In October 2021, Wolf and fellow agents were back again, carefully trekking the calm Flat Creek waters in search of a stable area to introduce 559 juvenile heelsplitters.

“Flat Creek provides the clean, well-oxygenated water needed for nourishment. This area contains some of the best remaining habitat for the species known to exist,” Morgan said.

Each juvenile Heelsplitter is raised at the Orangeburg Mussel Conservation Center (OMCC) through a program responsible for propagating the endangered species. The project, which began in 2015, included the challenge of figuring out how to emulate the reproduction process.

The female’s fertilized eggs are released into the water to find and attach to a specific fish species during the phase. The larvae remain attached for weeks while drawing nourishment from their unharmed host. Once developed into juveniles, the heelsplitter drops off the fish and settles to the bottom of the stream.

If it’s an area supportive to Heelsplitter, they will continue to grow. Habitat or water quality issues will hinder development, and they won’t be able to reproduce, eventually dying out. Figuring out how to replicate the reproduction process in a lab was difficult.

Thankfully, the USFWS and the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources worked together to solve the puzzle. The 559 mussels released in October joined more than 1,000 others released into river basins in the Pee Dee, Saluda, Savannah, and Catawba regions.

Morgan calls the OMCC a “game-changer” for species recovery. “It allows us to produce animals in South Carolina, near heelsplitter occupied habitats for the first time ever,” she said.

Haile Gold Mine funding was one of the main components leading to the program’s establishment. As part of Haile’s Conservation Management Plan for impacts to local waters, the company committed a $3.7 million endowment divided into annual contributions for the Carolina Heelsplitter. Approximately $1.6 million has been provided for the program since 2015.

“This endowment is a substantial contribution to propagation and research efforts for the species for the foreseeable future,” Morgan said.

Haile also supports the project by fostering some of the best remaining habitats for the heelsplitter known to exist. Juveniles released in October were stocked on the lower portion of Flat Creek, property Haile once owned before the company donated it to the Katawba Valley Land Trust.

“We respect and strive to protect our natural environments where we work,” Haile Gold Mine Executive General Manager, David Londono, said. “The Haile Gold Mine team will continue to work with the USFWS and other supporting agencies to hopefully one day enjoy the Heelsplitters flourishing on their own.”

Healthy habitats are critical to the heelsplitter’s future and access to the areas helps to augment population numbers and monitor the program’s success. Morgan said at least one heelsplitter population in the state is augmented each year.

“While our propagation efforts may be successful, recovery is limited by suitable stream habitat in which to place animals, and also the willingness of private landowners to allow augmentation on their lands,” she said.

Fish and Wildlife consistently battles against negative factors such as climate change, deforestation, permitted and non-permitted discharges into streams, and other problems that threatens the species.  For more information on the Carolina Heelsplitter visit https://www.fws.gov/species/carolina-heelsplitter-lasmigona-decorata.

In 2020, OceanaGold committed to achieving net zero greenhouse emissions by 2050. During 2021, operational and corporate sustainability teams worked together to identify specific actions to reduce emissions across the company – taking into account the projects already underway, emerging technologies and actions by governments to increase renewables in their power grids.

In February 2022, the OceanaGold Board approved an interim target to reduce carbon emissions per ounce of gold produced by 30 per cent by 2030 (based on 2019 performance levels). This interim climate change target is based on a clear action plan to help reach OceanaGold’s goal to net zero operational greenhouse emissions by 2050.

Decarbonisation in the mining industry

Decarbonisation is seen as a major disrupter in the mining and metals industry and according to Ernst and Young’s latest mining sector report (Top mining and metals risks and opportunities in 2022), it is in the top three business risks for 2022.

The World Gold Council (WGC) has recognised the need for strong action within the industry, identifying four key focus areas to manage greenhouse gas emissions – decarbonisation of mobile equipment fleet, decarbonisation of electricity supply, energy efficiency in the static plant, and carbon capture, sequestration, and offsets.

The company had developed an emissions reduction strategy to provide a pathway to maintain focus and build capability in emissions management across the organisation – with a focus on three of these areas; decarbonisation of the mobile equipment, increased use of renewable energy, and energy use/energy efficiency improvements.

A non-linear approach to net zero

OceanaGold General Manager for Health, Safety and Environment, Greg Scanlan, said the 2030 target was determined following industry benchmarking, the establishment of an emissions intensity baseline, and identification of reduction opportunities at an operational level.

“The pathway to deliver the 2030 target will need to adapt given actual performance, increasing regulatory and market pressures, rapidly changing technology and as frameworks for measuring and reporting are adapted and developed,” Greg said.

“There is a long way to go to net zero and our journey won’t be linear. Our interim 2030 climate change targets will help drive focus and innovation across the company, meet our stakeholders’ expectations and set a challenging but achievable pathway in line with industry targets.”

“In 2019 (our baseline year), OceanaGold generated 0.52 tonnes of CO2^e per ounce of gold produced, lower than the industry average of 0.8 tonnes of CO2^e  per ounce of gold produced, as reported by the World Gold Council.”

Technology and innovation key to decarbonisation

As a responsible miner, OceanaGold continuously improves and innovates the way it explores, extracts and processes minerals, drawing on the latest advanced technology and systems to improve performance.

Clear actions are required to reach decarbonisation and rapid advances in technology and innovation, including electrification, are central to the mining industry’s commitment to reducing its environmental impact.

“We are on an exciting journey of innovation and transformation in an industry which is vital to us all as we transition to a low-carbon world. Since 2018, OceanaGold has been implementing a company-wide program of automation, digital and process transformation, which is helping our company define the journey to operate the mines of the future,” Greg said.

In line with the interim 2030 target, OceanaGold has developed an internal reporting and visualisation tool (dashboard) that will improve tracking of its emissions in close to real time, support operational decision-making and maintain a focus on the performance of each operation.

Clear actions to reduce impact

“Our strategy supports an adaptive approach to driving emissions reduction by providing flexibility within the plan to respond to emergent opportunities, lessons learned at other sites, and evolving organisational priorities,” Greg said.

“The primary focus will be around decreasing the carbon intensity from our electricity suppliers, which is achievable through an increased focus on the purchase of renewable energy, through national government initiatives to encourage and mandate greening of grid electricity.”

The company will also be seeking to identify and accelerate decarbonising its mobile equipment fleet. Displacing or reducing diesel as the primary fuel for mining equipment, with a view to implement electrification and the use of alternative fuels such as biodiesel, hydrogen and emerging (hybrid) technology.

“OceanaGold will reduce energy use throughout its operation by reducing energy losses, using solar lighting wherever possible, and improving equipment use efficiency,” Greg said.

“By the end of June 2022 all operations will have completed negotiations with their current electricity supplier to maximise the renewable energy component of supply broadly consistent with current commercial costs.”

Farmers – if you discover a six-wheeled robot terrifying your sheep in the Macraes area, do not panic. It just means Mark Campbell’s rover has suffered a minor technical fault.

The 15-year-old Logan Park High School pupil has built a fully functioning rover which is operating in an unused area of the OceanaGold Macraes Operation in East Otago and is being managed remotely from his Dunedin home via a 3G connection.

“It’s solar powered and it’s autonomous. All I have to do is put some points on a map on my laptop, and it will drive there by itself.”

It can drive for up to 11 hours each day. It also has a real-time camera and a time-lapse camera that takes a photo every 60 seconds which allows him to see the rover’s daily movements concisely.

Trials of his rover started around his home, then moved to the streets of Dunedin, and now it is navigating Martian-type terrain at Macraes.

“Originally, I was just looking at the Mars Rovers on YouTube and I thought that was pretty cool.

“Then I wanted to give it a crack myself. I started buying parts online and just started doing it.”

He said he did a lot of research online for designs and had spent the past two years bringing the rover to fruition using his own money (leveraged with in-kind funding from his parents), Otago Institute science fair prize money and a Ministry of Education grant.

 Mark was delighted when Macraes mine bosses allowed him to set up his rover in an unused part of the mine and was confident it would remain in the confines of the allotted space.

“The ground’s really loose and the gravel just slides underneath the wheels and it’s a big open area so there’s lots of room to drive around without being run over by one of those big dump trucks.

“Originally, I did this just for fun – achieving the goal of just being able to drive purely off solar power.

“I thought that was pretty out-of-reach for me, but it actually wasn’t.”

He now has ambitions of working for a tech company that builds robots and rovers which could explore other planets in our solar system.

“It would definitely be cool to work in that field.”

OceanaGold’s General Manager for Health, Safety and Environment, Greg Scanlan, said OceanaGold was closing out the second year of a three-year preparedness program, and was working to demonstrate conformance with the RGMPs by September this year.

“In 2021, each World Gold Council member company was required to complete a self-assessment, to identify the gaps remaining to conform to the RGMPs,” Greg said.

“This gap assessment helped identify conformance and areas for continuous improvement around environment, social and governance (ESG) internal systems and processes,” he said.

“The second-year self-assessment process was then validated through external assurance in September 2021, to confirm OceanaGold continues to progress our first-year corrective action plans against identified continuous improvement opportunities. ”

“OceanaGold has a strong commitment to sustainable practices across its Global operations and prides itself as a strong ESG performer. We see conformance to the RGMP’s as another way to demonstrate our commitment to integrated performance across functions.”

Greg said the company’s performance in the year two self-assessment had identified some additional continuous improvement opportunities but confirms OceanaGold is on the right track.

“We acknowledge that if the requirements of the RGMPs were applied at the time of the Year 2 assurance audit (September 2021), we would have difficulty demonstrating conformance in certain governance sub principles. However, work required to meet these RGMP sub principles requires a longer lead time to reach full conformance (for example, establishing and embedding the responsible supply chain framework). Our development of these processes and detailed action plans will support future conformance.”

“Upholding high standards is part of our culture at OceanaGold and is good business. It’s what every global company strives for.”

Going into 2022, the key continuous improvement areas for OceanaGold include:

 Environment

• Continuing to develop Energy Management plans that identify emission reduction opportunities in support of the delivery of OceanaGold’s interim carbon reduction targets and transition to Net Zero Emissions by 2050.
• Build business resilience by understanding climate change risks to the business based on IPCC global warming models (physical and transition risk assessments undertaken for all assets) and making relevant disclosures in accordance with the recommendations made by the Taskforce on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD).
• Strengthening closure planning processes and ensuring robust water management systems are implemented at each operation.

 Social

• Continuing to mature the social performance systems at each operation, including undertaking social risk assessments.
• Continuing Human Rights Policy training.
• Continuing to enhance robust stakeholder engagement processes.

 Governance

• Developing and implementing a multi-year action plan for responsible supply chain processes across the organisation, including human rights and modern slavery.

Reviewing and enhancing our processes for permitting and consenting governance and where relevant, incorporating it into business practices and decision-making.

Water is essential to life and underpins the health of people and communities. It has significant social, ecological, cultural and economic values.

Water is also vital when mining for and producing gold, and at the Macraes Operation, water is used in a number of ways. From the trout hatchery, to the processing plant, to the way we capture stormwater and safely store it.

Each step in our processing plant requires water to separate the valuable minerals containing the gold from the host rock. We initially add water when grinding up gold-bearing ore turning it into slurry (a paste-like mixture of fine rock and water). At this consistency we’re able to move the mixture from one step to the next. Water is also used for mixing reagents like cyanide which dissolves the gold and allows it to be removed from all the other material.

After we remove the gold, the remaining material, which contains trace amounts of cyanide is passed through a cyanide destruction process (the INCO process) to reduce the environmental risk, then pumped as tailings to the tailings storage facility (TSF).

In the processing plant, about 90% of the water we use is recycled, much of it from the tailings storage facilities. About 5% of the water we use is taken from silt ponds, or other water storages which are not able to be discharged, and about 5% (between 1,500 – 1,800 cubic metres a day, or about two thirds of an Olympic Swimming Pool), comes from the Taieri River.

We have three permits with the Otago Regional Council that allow us to take water from the Taieri River. When the flow in the river is low, we work with a group of irrigators in the catchment, called the Strath Taieri Irrigation Group (STIG), to ensure a minimum flow is maintained in the river. STIG has a coordinator who sends out a text message when it is our time to switch on and off the water pumps.

Before the water gets used in the process plant, it is used to produce trout at the Macraes Trout Hatchery. Established in 2004 in collaboration with conservation organisation Fish & Game, the hatchery is a fantastic example of how we can create shared value with our stakeholders. From an initial capital expenditure of NZ$60,000 nearly 20 years ago, the trout hatchery has become enormously successful at continuously supplying trout for the benefit of anglers in Otago.

It is also critical we manage water around the surface mining areas. Erosion from rain leading to sediment run-off needs to be contained in appropriately designed drainage that feeds into silt ponds, where the sediment settles out before the water is discharged to local creeks. Water also needs to be pumped away from open pit floors and the underground to ensure safe and efficient mining operations.

Through our environmental monitoring program, we have found that water that passes through the waste rock stacks may collect sulphates and nitrates. In some cases, the concentrations of these compounds are such that this water cannot be discharged, and it is pumped back into the site water management system.

This process is possible in the short term, however once the mine closes it presents a challenge. Research is currently underway to examine two options. One option is to use this water for irrigation. As sulphates and nitrates are fertilisers, the use of waste rock seepage for irrigation offers the opportunity for a win-win for the mine and the farming community. We are currently working with the University of Otago and a number of lessees to understand the potential of this water.

Where irrigation may not be possible, our team is also working with a research company, Verum, on enhanced passive water treatment. This treatment uses natural processes to convert and remove the sulphates and nitrates from the waste rock water. We have completed a series of lab-based trials and the next step will be a field pilot program. We also worked with Verum on the passive water treatment plant for our Reefton Restoration Project.

With the expanding footprint of the mine, we are collecting additional water and a lot of this water cannot be discharged. At Macraes we have a negative water balance, meaning there is more evaporation than rainfall. So, we use a sprinkler system that utilises evaporation from the sun and wind, to help reduce the volume of water on site. This is particularly important for maintaining the correct freeboard (water levels) on the TSFs.

Water is becoming a scarcer and more valued commodity. Looking forward, we are likely to face changes in rainfall patterns with more intense rainfall and long periods without rain. What this means for mining is that we need to always be thinking about how we can reduce our water consumption by minimising use and increasing reuse.

In our Water Management Statement of Position we commit to reducing our water-related impacts through collaboration, partnerships, product stewardship, minimising our use and a strong focus on operational control and improving operational performance. Using water wisely is good for the environment, good for society and also good for business.

The Lancaster Children’s Home affords a chance for the children to press “reset” since many have been abandoned, neglected, or abused in some way. State funding and grants provide only a portion of the funds required to operate the facility in a “home-like” way.

Community support from companies like Haile Gold Mine helps the agency operate just a little easier for the children and dedicated employees.

Haile recently joined other local corporate sponsors to fund the 11th Annual Fall Flurry Clay Shoot – the biggest fundraiser event for the Lancaster Children’s Home. In November the operation donated 63lbs of wild boar sausage to stock the facility’s freezer.

Wild Boar pose a threat to infrastructure and humans. The Haile Gold Mine conducts a trap and kill program to reduce the onsite population when frequent sightings occur. The pigs are processed, and meat is donated in the community wherever a need exists.

“We absolutely love the Haile Gold Mine, they have been wonderful to us,” Director of Community Development, April Joplin said.

Haile also provided items for outdoor activities last summer, which April said was a great treat for the children. The COVID-19 pandemic has limited the agency’s ability to host onsite programs for the children. The need for other activities significantly increased.

“The outdoor activity items were wonderful for our kids and gave them things to keep them occupied outside. You can’t take a troubled teen and make them sit in their bedroom 24/7. That’s a recipe for disaster,” she said.

Community support is perhaps the biggest factor in the success of the facility. April said state support provides little more than enough for “three hots and a cot.”

According to April, considerably more is needed to provide a safe and comfortable environment for the children. For example, many referrals necessitate maintaining counseling services. Some also need glasses, which means trips to appointments.

Part of April’s job is seeking opportunities for more funding. Lancaster Children’s Home relies heavily on grants and fundraising efforts. Food donations are important, but there are challenges because the facility cooks in bulk so small cans of food aren’t as helpful. AmazonSmile has been a big help.

The online portal is separate from Amazon’s main website. It offers the same items and benefits as Amazon.com but has a big charitable difference. When you purchase on AmazonSmile, 0.5% of the price goes to the charity of your choice at no extra charge to the charity or customer.

“We promote that a lot on our social media. We’ll have people go online and order the bulk food and it’ll be shipped to us,” April said.

Residents of Sun City Carolina Lakes have also been instrumental in their support of Lancaster Children’s Home. The panhandle community’s Friends of Lancaster Children’s Home and a Helping Hands group have stepped up to meet needs as they arise.

“Both of those groups go above and beyond to help us out,” she said.

There’s plenty of opportunities for you to help out with Christmas right around the corner. You can donate gifts to the children by checking Lancaster Children’s Home Facebook and Instagram pages. The agency frequently updates both outlets with a list of needs. Christmas wish lists will also be shared on social media.

April said the great thing about support from corporations like Haile is the example it sets for employees.

“We’ve had employees from Haile reach out and ask what they can do. When your employer is setting the example, it encourages the employees to be a philanthropist and want to do the same thing,” she said.

If you would like to support the Lancaster Children’s Home, please reach out to them at +1 803 286 5277, or follow their social media pages for donation information. The agency is a 501c3 non-profit organization.

The Mine turned over the facility to Barangay Didipio as a health facility in 2018, to cater for the emergency health needs of the community. In June this year, as the number of COVID-19 cases in community increased, Lolita Kigi-e, one of the Mine’s Occupational Health Supervisors, was seconded to spearhead the operation of the Didipio Family Health Centre as a COVID-19 facility. Lolita, a Didipio resident and a registered nurse who worked in Saudi Arabia for over six years, was pleased to accept the assignment and serve her fellow Didipio residents.

Renovations were undertaken to meet the requirements of the Department of Health (DOH) for the Centre to serve as a COVID-19 isolation facility. The Centre was re-opened, fully equipped with medicines and supplies, including emergency response equipment, appropriate PPE and Rapid Antigen Test kits. It’s now staffed by five nurses and two nursing aides.

Since opening, the facility has hired two health consultants – a surgeon and an internist – to conduct consultations and minor surgery every Tuesday and Thursday. This service has eased the burden on community members who needed to obtain COVID-19 related travel documents in order to leave their barangay for other medical treatments. The Centre has also hired on-call specialists, including an obstetrics gynaecologist, paediatricians and a sonologist, who consult on site as required by the community. With the additional medical staff, the Centre has been able to treat patients who cannot be admitted to hospital due to a shortage of available beds.

Didipio Mine Occupational Health Supervisor, Lolita Kigi-e, said the Mine was committed to helping the local government units and the Didipio Family Health Centre support the health and wellbeing of the people in Didipio and adjacent communities.

“Originally the Centre was built with a 10-bed capacity, but it can now accommodate up to 15 patients and it has the capacity to treat patients who have COVID-19 symptoms who are isolating, and those who require treatment,” Lolita said.

“Since opening in June, the Centre has served 62 COVID-19 patients, with most being classified as severe, and 11 non-COVID-19 cases diagnosed with pneumonia, most requiring paediatric services,” she said.

“The Centre has also conducted more than 900 Rapid Antigen Tests and is providing contact tracing services in partnership with the Barangay Health Station.”

“While acting as an isolation facility, the Centre still provides routine and emergency medical services to roughly 15-20 people per day,” Lolita said.

The Didipio Mine has invested PhP13.1 million (over US$261,000) constructing, re-fitting and equipping the Centre and has allocated an additional Php12.4million (over $US247,000) to support the Centre’s COVID-19 operating expenses.  Barangay Didipio also continues to support the operation of the Centre from its Social Development and Management Fund.

There is perhaps no one better suited to the role of Community Liaison Officer than Donna Fisher. Donna has lived in the Waihi region for 45 years and has spent 26 of those working at the Waihi Operation. For the last 19 years, she has worked as the Community Liaison Officer, so to say she knows Waihi quite well (the town, people and mine) is an understatement.

“I live and breathe it. It doesn’t matter where I am in town – the doctor, hairdresser or the supermarket – a member of the community will always ask me about what’s happening at the mine,” Donna said.

“But I don’t mind. At a human level, all people really want is someone to talk to, and I’m a good listener,” she said. “The feedback – while not always positive – is always welcome and by contacting me, people know action will be taken.”

Donna’s statement characterises OceanaGold’s approach to concerns, complaints and grievances – even when feedback comes through as criticism, or is a complaint about unavoidable operational impacts, the information is powerful.

Social Performance Advisor, Danielle Crawford, is part of the company’s External Affairs and Social Performance team that develops and manages responsible mining policy and process. She says the company’s operational community engagement teams provide an important conduit for identifying, reporting, and responding to concerns, complaints and grievances.

“Complaints aren’t received negatively, rather they are an opportunity to engage, and to enhance our control mechanisms, which can often lead to operational improvements,” Danielle said.

“It shows that people trust us to deal with issues, which we do with very embedded processes that are required of us both legislatively, and across the industry as a responsible miner.”

OceanaGold’s Complaints and Grievance Mechanism Standard, implemented in 2019, provides a framework for the timely and adequate resolution of concerns, complaints, and grievances relating to operations and projects, with a focus on preventative management.

The Standard is governed by the External Affairs and Social Performance Manual and is subject to biennial review. This forms part of OceanaGold’s commitment to meeting the World Gold Council’s Responsible Gold Mining Principles (Principle 2.5), which states: We will establish fair, accessible, effective and timely mechanisms through which complaints and grievances related to our activities can be raised and resolved and remedies implemented. Those raising such grievances in good faith will not face discrimination or retaliation as a result of raising their concerns.

Actions resulting from the recent review will be implemented by the end of 2021. These include establishing designated community hotlines at the Macraes Operation in New Zealand and the Haile Gold Mine in the United States.

For the company’s operations at the “mining towns” of Waihi in New Zealand and Didipio in the Philippines, immediate neighbours and the broader community are well versed in mining activities through targeted engagement and communication. Community hotlines are already established at these operations, but the review found opportunities to improve internal triage systems to ensure complaints and grievances are resolved more quickly.

Back on site at Waihi, it’s Donna’s experience at resolving issues and building relationships with the community that has extended the company’s duty of care.

“At a training course many years ago, I heard the phrase, ‘A complaint is a gift’ and I take that mantra to work with me every day,” she said.

“I have an open-door approach and by taking the time to stop and chat, I’ve learnt so much about my community. Like, who might need help with firewood over winter, or who might be feeling especially lonely during lockdown.

“It’s about taking the bad with the good and I try to help where I can and hopefully make a difference.”

The latest Global Slavery Index, published in 2018, showed there were 40.3 million people living in modern slavery in 2016, 71 per cent of them women and girls. And closer to home, the International Labour Organisation and Australian anti-slavery organisation, Walk Free, estimates there are 15,000 people being kept in slave-like conditions in Australia.*

“Sadly, modern slavery is a challenge that exists globally,” OceanaGold’s Executive Vice President and General Counsel, Liang Tang, said. “As a responsible multinational mining company, we want to make sure we’re taking the right approach, so we are not causing or contributing to modern slavery.”

In 2018, Australia passed the Modern Slavery Act 2018, which requires entities that have an annual consolidated revenue of more than $100 million to report annually on the risks of modern slavery in their operations and supply chains, and actions to address those risks.

As a Reporting Entity under the Act, OceanaGold is required to prepare a statement that outlines the risks of modern slavery practices in its operations and supply chains, and those of any entities it owns or controls, for each financial year.

In June 2021, OceanaGold released its first Modern Slavery Statement to report on the work undertaken in 2020. This included reviewing its tier one supply chain and assessing suppliers’ inherent risks on a low-to-high scale.

“Modern slavery exploits vulnerable people and abuses their basic human rights,” Liang said. “It’s a complex issue and not necessarily one that’s easy to identify.”

“Addressing potential modern slavery risks is complex and we are in the early stages of our work. At OceanaGold knowledge is one of our values and our approach to modern slavery risk and our annual Modern Slavery Statements will focus on continuous improvement.”

The approach is backed by the OceanaGold Board of Directors and Executive Committee who are committed to developing a framework that will help the company better understand potential modern slavery risks and guide its response.

“Earning the right to operate long into the future means understanding our broader societal impacts and working closely with suppliers, communities, governments and global organisations to maintain our high standards and continue to enhance our practices over time.”

“We look forward to sharing our progress in our future statements.”

*Source: https://www.sbs.com.au/news/australia-s-modern-slaves-are-a-real-mix-and-they-are-suffering-in-silence

So, when our Globe Progress Mine – just outside Reefton in New Zealand’s South Island – closed and became the Reefton Restoration Project, we continued supporting community initiatives that aligned with community priorities.

In 2019, we partnered with the Buller District Council to fund a Socio-Economic Development Officer (SEDO) position for three years. The position was established to focus on community funding, partnerships and projects that extend economic diversification activities in Reefton.

The role was awarded to Reefton local, Rachel Fifield, who has since worked with the town’s businesses and community organisations to establish a number of development initiatives.

OceanaGold General Manager for Projects, David Bickerton, said Rachel’s local knowledge and broad community experience have proved invaluable in promoting and helping develop a range of initiatives.

“Being in the SEDO role, Rachel has been able to provide advice and assistance to a number of local groups seeking funding and organising events. Rachel has also helped attract new business into town, locals into employment, and has been the driving force behind a number a town beautification and enhancement projects,” David said.

“We’re pleased to be able to support the SEDO role and proud of the results Rachel has been able to achieve for the Reefton community,” he said.

Local groups have appreciated what Rachel has been able to achieve. Here’s some feedback from a few of the organisations Rachel has worked with in Reefton.

Pat Russell, from the Blacks Point Museum, said the museum has appreciated Rachel’s ideas and assistance with funding applications.

“Rachel has provided information and assistance which allowed us to apply for funding we desperately needed and would not otherwise have known about or have been confident applying for.  We have been successful with four applications and have more pending. Rachel is inspirational and a powerhouse of knowledge. When we were struggling to stay open, she worked with us to plan for the future, with lots of new ideas,” Pat said.

Paul Densem, from PD Plastering & Painting, said Rachel connected him to the right agencies when he was looking for staff and helped him with funding applications.

“I could keep doing my job while she worked for me. I couldn’t have done this on my own,” Paul said.

Zie Rosanowski, from the Reefton Netball Club, said Rachel approached them to let them know there was financial assistance available for club transport expenses through the Rural Travel Fund.

“I didn’t know this fund existed, but with Rachel’s help we have funding to support our members participate in regular local sporting competitions,” Zie said.

Richard Negus, from Fusion Events who organise the Resilience Ultramarathon, said Rachel put them in touch with local business owners and key stakeholders who are supporting the event, which will take place in Reefton in August.

“Rachel and the support we’ve received from Reefton has been instrumental in getting the event off the ground and they continue to support us,” Richard said.

New Zealand’s largest gold producer OceanaGold are determined to reduce emissions at their Macraes mine in Central Otago. And Beca are right beside them, developing an Energy Transition Acceleration study that provides a pathway to a greener future.

Producing over 172,000 oz of gold per annum and employing more than 600 people, the Macraes Operation north of Dunedin is New Zealand’s largest and a key operational asset in OceanaGold’s broader portfolio.

As participants in the New Zealand government’s ETA (Energy Transition Accelerator) program, OceanaGold are focussed on reducing their greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) at their Macraes site to not only improve the sustainability of their product, but also reduce their energy costs.

That’s where Beca entered the picture. As programme partners with the ETA, our Industrial Sustainability and Engineering teams worked closely with OceanaGold management to develop an Energy Transition Accelerator Study that identified a practical emissions reduction pathway for their business.

Key opportunities for reducing their GHG emissions include harnessing:

• Waste heat recovery
• Fuel switching
• Solar lighting towers
• Electric elution hot water heating
• Battery-powered electric trucks (to transport ore around the mine), and
• Electrification of excavators

Taken together, these practical abatement measures can reduce emissions from the Macraes goldmine by a substantial 37%, whilst additional measures – such as the use of renewable energy sources on site could increase this figure to 59%.

With this study now complete, Beca are ready to support OceanaGold in implementing the identified recommendations over coming years – with some of these options also applicable to their Waihi mine on the North Island.

Suddenly, the future is looking golden!

In the wake of the 2019 catastrophic dam collapse of the Corrego de Deijao mine in Brumidinho, Brazil – a human and environmental tragedy – concerned investors, environmental leaders and the mining industry took action.

The International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) co-convened the Global Tailings Review to establish an international standard that provides a framework for the safer management of tailings storage facilities (TSFs). It resulted in the Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management, which was released in August last year.

OceanaGold recognises that tailings management and the structural integrity of its TSFs are critical to community safety and environmental protection.

“Safe, sustainable tailings management is just as critical to our business as extracting gold,” said Greg Scanlan, OceanaGold’s Head of Health, Safety and Environment.

“And we have just as big an obligation to protect our community and environment as we do our own people,” he said.

“TSFs are part and parcel of the gold mining industry – it’s our responsibility to ensure we manage them safely and continually refine our processes to innovate and support industry best-practice.”

OceanaGold released a TSF Statement of Position in 2019, which commits the company to designing, constructing and managing TSFs in compliance with all host country regulations, and where applicable, any additional requirements consistent with its TSF management standards and framework. The company also ruled out constructing any new upstream tailings storage facilities.

In 2020, the company strengthened its focus on safe tailings storage by forming a Tailings Governance Committee. The Committee meets regularly to ensure a robust governance and review process occurs for every TSF across the company’s global operations and includes the use of external third-party technical expertise.

In June 2021, the company released an updated TSF Statement of Position specifically committing to meeting the requirements of the GISTM. Recognising the critical importance of making big strides towards meeting the new global industry standards, the company is implementing a new accountability and governance framework to ensure there is a clear separation between operations and governance functions. This includes appointing “accountable executives” who also chair the Tailings Governance Committee. The President and CEO is an active supporter and member of this committee.

Key areas of focus for the committee are:

• Separate internal TSF governance functions from operational functions
• Report independently and directly to the company Board of Directors on TSF operational performance and governance processes
• Apply innovation and new technology to minimise risks of TSF failure
• Ensure meaningfully engagement with affected parties and fully assess social, economic and environmental impacts, integrating feedback, concerns and mitigations into TSF design and management.

OceanaGold places a strong focus on all stages of the TSF lifecycle from design, construction management and closure.

“It’s not good enough to be ‘good enough. We need to be diligent and thorough to ensure the safety of our people and communities and to support and encourage the whole mining industry to adopt standards and work practices that prevent any recurrence of catastrophic structural failures,” Greg said.

A Human Rights Impact Assessment (HRIA) undertaken at the Haile Gold Mine in the United States has found a number of opportunities to strengthen the operation’s human rights risk mitigation measures.

In keeping with its Human Rights Policy, each of OceanaGold’s operations are required to conduct a HRIA to identify how their activities could potentially cause, contribute or are directly linked to a breach of human rights. The Policy reflects the requirements of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, the UN Declaration of Human Rights and other international frameworks.

Haile Gold Mine External Affairs & Social Performance Manager, Kevin Cook, said the company’s value of knowledge was fundamental to culture and organisational growth.

“At Haile, we assessed our performance against the full set of internationally recognised human rights benchmarks,” Kevin said.

“Across OceanaGold each operation will conduct HRIAs every two years, or more regularly if a material change occurs, to assess human rights risks and address any gaps in our policies, processes and practices. This determines the most salient human rights risks for our employees, contractors, supply chain workers and communities,” he said.

“Following our assessment at the Haile Gold Mine, we found we have a robust approach to human rights risks, however there were gaps in our mitigation measures that provided an opportunity to strengthen our management systems including improving human rights training for our employees.”

The assessment was conducted with the assistance of independent human rights experts, Article One. The process included a desktop review of documentation, interviews and focus groups with rightsholders and stakeholders including OceanaGold and vendor employees, management, contractors, community groups, government agencies and civil society.

“With an extensive 2021 capital works program, including the development of the Haile Underground, it is incredibly important we understand and mitigate any human rights risks that have the potential to cause harm to our operation or the people that work with us,” Kevin said.

Social Performance Advisor, Danielle Crawford said Human rights risks were mapped highlighting the causal relationship between the company and the risks to people, and then they are prioritised based on their actual or potential impact. Where HRIAs identify any human rights risks, an action plan is developed to either eliminate or mitigate those risks.

“The action plans are monitored and reported to OceanaGold’s Executive Committee as they form part of our global External Affairs and Social Performance key performance indicators,” Danielle said.

The Haile HRIA Action Plan includes remediating actions such as enhancing family benefits for employees, engaging staff in 360 feedback processes, updating policies around the hiring of security personnel, and formalising relationships with local law enforcement agencies as part of regular security risk assessments.

The Haile Gold Mine will also ensure that all contracted workers operate under contracts with embedded human rights expectations and will strengthen its human rights due diligence processes when hiring contractors and suppliers.

OceanaGold has strengthened its focus on occupational health monitoring, which involves routinely monitoring and managing employees’ potential exposure to harmful workplace environments, including airborne and biological contaminants generated by mining practices – such as inhalable dust, respirable silica and diesel particulate matter as well as physical mining conditions such as noise and vibration.

The monitoring program is part of a three-year Occupational Hygiene Management Plan, developed in 2020, after a review and update of the company’s Occupational Exposure Management Guideline.

Following best practice global guidelines, each operation conducted a risk review of occupational hygiene exposure using an independent Certified Occupational Hygienist. The review identified the opportunities to make the data collection and management process more robust by collecting additional data and changing the frequency of monitoring at each site.

Head of Health, Safety & Environment, Greg Scanlan, said the occupational hygiene exposure review highlighted opportunities to engage additional resources and to apply a common framework and Standard across its global operations.

“Ensuring all staff – no matter their location – have access to the same understanding of exposure risks and the same level of controls to protect their long-term health is our goal,” Greg said.

“We have employed dedicated Occupational Hygiene Technicians across our operations in New Zealand and the United States, allowing each operation to better-monitor and understand potential health risks,” he said.

The monitoring program involves looking at biological stressors (bacteria, virus, fungi, and mould, and blood-borne pathogens), chemical stressors (acids, bases, heavy metals, solvents, particulates, vapours, fumes), and physical stressors (noise, heat, cold, vibration).

Through targeted and statistically valid workplace exposure monitoring and the implementation of high order controls (longer-term solutions), the company can more effectively manage exposures to our workforce and remove potential affects to their long-term health.

“In the past, we have undertaken extensive sampling, but now we have a more comprehensive set of baseline data to help understand the exposure profiles of workers at each operation,” Greg said.

“By always improving the way we monitor employee health, we are not only ensuring we meet regulatory obligations, we are investing in the long-term health and wellbeing of our employees,” he said.

The team at the Haile Gold Mine have been working with cultural resource management firm, R.S. Webb and Associates, who have recently completed archaeological work at the site and discovered many interesting archaeological pieces.

Senior Archaeologist Ken Styer said a person would have to have a unique passion for artifacts to appreciate the kind of items found, but that the historical significance was great. The objects paint a picture of the earliest inhabitants of the area and their activities.

“What many commonly call ‘arrowheads’ are more appropriately called projectile points in the archaeological world. Not everything that looks like an arrowhead was used on the end of a spear,” Styer said.

“Most of these are multi-purpose tools for a cutting edge or a dart or spearpoint. Some are more of your scraper tools,” he said.

Arch site 642 at Haile is a large area that presented physical integrity (has not been disturbed) during early testing. According to Styer, this means initial phases of shovel testing indicated that there were enough artifact clusters to be able to collect usable data.

The items are estimated to be nearly 6,000 years old and feature mostly Morrow Mountain projectile points. Archaeologists use various terms to establish a technology timeline for projectile points. Morrow Mountain points are from the Middle Archaic period, estimated to be between 3,000 and 6,000 years old.

“The vast majority of everything we get is lithic (stone) tools or lithic tool related. Ceramics are in the upper levels [of the timeline] about 3,000 years later,” Styer said.

The Woodland period of the timeline, which began about 1,000 years ago, is the first known appearance of the various pottery items Styer refers to.

The Haile Gold Mine contracts R.S. Webb and Associates when digging is planned for previously undisturbed portions of the site. To protect the site’s cultural resources, the firm comes in and excavates all significant and potentially datable items. Once their work is complete, the mine proceeds with clearing the area.

“Archaeological excavation methods are very labor intensive. We come out and do a survey, then line up every 30 meters and dig a hole and screen the dirt. You move down the line every 100 feet,” Styer said.

The standard field excavation procedure calls for the removal of dirt in unit levels at 10-centimeter increments. Using a shovel, dirt is carefully removed from each level and placed into a 2×3 screen box, which pivots on one leg. The box is shaken forcefully back and forth to screen the loose soil through the mesh. Anything remaining on the screen might be something worth getting excited over.

Photos: Removing dirt in a standard archeological procedure that involves excavating at 10-centimeter increment and sifting it in a screen box to locate solid objects.

“I’m liking these sites. I’ve worked up in the sandhills for a long time, and you find a lot of sites but it’s hard to find any with physical integrity. Things just filter on through. Finding intact deposits is very exciting,” Styer said.

The excavation process doesn’t always have to start from scratch. The area is full of other known sites where stories of discovered arrowheads and the artifacts themselves are passed down from generation to generation. When this is the case, less shovel testing is needed as the group can more easily pinpoint the location of artifacts.

At the completion of excavation, Styer and his team return to their lab in Georgia to begin analysis.

The goal is to more accurately identify the period using the radiocarbon dating method and quantify the findings. Broken pieces of cooking stone were some of the more interesting findings during the recent dig. According to Styer, the stone would have been placed on top of a fire to heat up the food.

“I have never seen one out of sandstone. Usually, what you’ll get is steatite, which is soapstone, that you’ll get in the Piedmont. It’s definitely a little bit exciting,” Styer said.

Field analysis of the stone indicated that it had been penetrated at the center, which Styer said could have been to help facilitate carrying it around.

The group also discovered chunkey stones on the property. These disc-shaped stones were used in Native American cultures as a game with a lot potentially on the line. The stone is first rolled across the ground and participants threw spears at the stone to see who could get closest. Anything from food and blankets to a participant’s entire home could be at stake.

Evidence of this type of activity helps determine the type of inhabitants in the area. Styer said as far back as the Haile artifacts go, it’s impossible to associate with any known tribes.

“The North American continent was inhabited 14,000 years ago by people chasing mastodons and bison. They were all strict hunter gatherers. At a mobile camp, you won’t get cooking stones,” Styer said.

“This site is more the tail end of hunter gatherers. Here, they are spending a little bit of time,” he said.

Upon completion of all artifact analysis, items are returned to the Haile Gold Mine Depot and are on display for all the community to enjoy.

Photo: Ken Styer of R.S. Webb and Associates displays some of the projectile points found at the mine during recent archeological excavations.

In late 2020, the Macraes Operation in the South Island of New Zealand consented (permitted) three projects that extended the life of the mine to at least 2028. One of these projects was the Deepdell North Stage Three Project, which expands the existing Deepdell Open Pit.

For the operation, extending the mine’s life means continuing to support jobs, partnerships and making a meaningful economic, social and environmental contribution.

The project includes extending the open pit and creating a new waste rock stack. In developing the project plans, the Macraes Operation hosted a series of meetings and site visits with representatives from the Macraes community, the Department of Conservation, iwi, and the Otago Regional and Waitaki District Councils.

The Macraes Operation’s Environment and Community Manager, Gavin Lee, said they investigated a range of designs to balance technical, social and environmental values.

“We worked methodically through the mitigation hierarchy with stakeholders. That starts with avoidance and ends with delivering positive social and environmental outcomes,” Gavin said.

“It’s not about choosing social or environmental values over commercial; we believe we have an operation that delivers both,” he said.

“We knew there was likely going to be differences of opinion when it came to our mine design and we wanted to understand those views early. In line with the Informed Consultation and Participation (ICP) principles, we hosted onsite meetings to bring the Councils, Department of Conservation and members of the local community. We provided an outline of our preliminary mine design and asked them to share their thoughts. It was a powerful experience as they weren’t just talking to us, they were talking to each other. We then had ongoing individual conversations to discuss potential issues and proposed mitigations.”

“As a result of the stakeholder feedback and analysis undertaken during this process, it became clear that the original preferred option had serious flaws and we needed to go back to the drawing board and redesign the waste rock stack at a much better location. This meant we would better-balance our overall impact and contribute to long-term social and ecological benefits to the region.”

“The final design allows for better water management and control of downstream water quality to avoid impacts to threatened flora and fauna species, habitats and heritage features. And its location ensures amenity impacts (such as noise) on the closest neighbour were minimised.”

To demonstrate no net loss of biodiversity (meaning, the biodiversity condition is as good, or better, as a result of mining), OceanaGold methodically stepped through the other elements of the mitigation hierarchy: minimise, restore, offset and compensate.

Some habitat clearing for the mine’s operations cannot be avoided, so the Macraes Environment and Community Team worked with the local farming community to identify appropriate locations for biodiversity offsets. With the help of ecologist, Mike Thorsen, from Ahika Limited, OceanaGold agreed with a local farmer to conserve an ephemeral wetland (a wetland that is wet only seasonally or in wet years).

“A farmer, an ecologist and a miner in a discussion sounds like the start of a bad joke, but we were able to establish benefits for each party,” Gavin said.

“Another aspect that cannot be avoided is impacts to lizard populations. This is inherently important for the Otago region, which is rich in biodiversity. The Macraes area is well is known for its vibrant landscape, including an abundant lizard habitat,” he said.

As part of the commitment to no net loss of lizard populations for the project, the team worked closely with the Department of Conservation and iwi to relocate two threatened lizard species. This was completed in early March 2021, and the team successfully relocated 1,200 Korero Geckos (found in the crevices of rocky tors – a large, freestanding rock outcrop) and 250 Southern Grass Skinks (which like to live in moist, grassy areas).

“We are doing more than just relocating the lizard populations. We are also re-establishing their habitat on our rehabilitated waste rock stacks and we are committed to helping the lizard populations thrive through a multifaceted 10-year research program,” Gavin said.

“As an industry, we are responsible for the legacy we leave for the communities in which we work, and that goes for all creatures – great and small,” he said.

Photos of the construction of rocky tors, providing lizard habitats as part of the progressive rehabilitation program at Macraes.

“When we listen, we can better understand how our operations affect people’s everyday lives. When we listen, we find opportunities to improve our operational performance and work collaboratively to contribute to positive change in our host communities.” That’s the driver for OceanaGold’s social performance team, led by Executive Vice President Sustainability, Sharon Flynn.

In 2020, OceanaGold piloted a Social Change Assessment framework at the Didipio Mine in the Philippines. The Corporate External Affairs and Social Performance team and the Didipio Mine Communications and Community Relations team worked with Filipino and international experts in community development and social impact assessment to design a process to uncover how social and economic change was happening at Didipio. The process mapped local dynamics and identified how the mine is driving change in that context.

The process brought together information and analysis from previous social baselines and impact assessments, publicly available data, household level ethnographies, interviews and focus groups.

Social Performance Advisor, Danielle Crawford, said the most important part of the Social Change Assessment was listening to people’s stories.

“The Didipio Mine operates in a complex political and social context and it was important for us to hear the communities’ views on how the mine is changing their lives – what they are happy with and what they want improved,” Danielle said.

“It’s also important to acknowledge the past and what the company could have done differently, because as we all know, when you know better, you do better. Knowledge is a corporate value and very much part of our culture at OceanaGold, and part of our duty of care to the communities we operate in,” she said.

“The Social Change Assessment identified gaps, challenges, and solutions with the aim of improving how OceanaGold is managing the effects of its operations in host communities, and how the company can improve its contribution to the communities’ long-term resilience.”

“For example, while the mine has provided jobs and business opportunities locally, the mine cannot employ everyone, and direct employment opportunities will diminish at closure, so we are working with local groups to strengthen programs focused on non-mining livelihoods such as agriculture.”

“The assessment provided an opportunity to collect honest – and sometimes confronting – feedback that recognised unresolved legacy issues and identified opportunities to enhance our approach”

“For example, how various companies – OceanaGold and previous developers – have accessed land rights over the last 23 years, has created distrust and frustration amongst the community. The Didipio team is working to reconstruct past land access processes to identify what happened and how the process has affected livelihoods today.”

The second phase of the Social Change Assessment involved land mapping. The Centre for Social Responsibility in Mining at the University of Queensland, and the Malaysian branch of the University of Nottingham, used publicly available landsat data to map how land use has changed over time. Land use change was then overlaid with increased infrastructure, local demographics, urban expansion and other social and economic data to get a clearer picture of how the mine has been a driver of change.

OceanaGold is currently working productively and collaboratively with key stakeholders to share the results of the assessment and implement new plans to better manage the mine’s local effects as soon as the operation’s Financial or Technical Assistance Agreement (FTAA) is renewed.

The Didipio Mine’s Community Relations and Development Manager, Nericel Langres, said the community participants involved in the assessment also gave feedback to the company on how it could improve its engagement overall.

“We recognise we need to shift from a prescriptive engagement approach to one that is more participatory and inclusive, with increased transparency, to better understand the views and perspectives of the community,” Nericel said.

“Long-term, the company’s objective is to gain sustained stakeholder support through wider benefit sharing, improved relationships with more inclusive engagement, work to resolve legacy issues, and fully integrating social impacts management into operations,” she said.

On the ground, Community Development and Management System Superintendent, Bonifacio Labatos Jr (known as Hero), coordinates social data analysis at the mine and has seen first-hand the benefits that responsible mining can bring to remote communities, and is eager to deliver strategies that provide long-lasting benefits.

“There is huge potential for Didipio to become a viable agri-tourism destination and of course, this will contribute significantly to the long-term food security for the region,” Hero said.

“We have worked in partnership with individual farmers and co-operatives and will continue to contribute to the long-term vision by supporting programs that build local capability and capacity,” he said.

“We have also partnered with the community to directly support education, health and sanitation, road infrastructure and livelihood opportunities. And we will strive to improve engagement and support for adjacent communities moving forward.”

As a responsible mining company, OceanaGold has released its position statement to support the global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines.

“We take our legal, ethical, moral and social responsibility extremely seriously,” said OceanaGold’s Health and Safety Manager Portia Weeks.

“We’ve had to act quickly to establish policies that keep our people – and the communities we work and live in – safe from the further-spread of COVID-19,” she said.

“This pandemic has not discriminated and has affected the lives and livelihoods of people around the world. As a company we will support our employees and stakeholders navigate widespread vaccination to establish herd immunity.”

OceanaGold has people and operations in six countries – the United States of America, New Zealand and the Philippines, where it has operating mines, and Australia, Canada and Singapore, where its offices are located – and is working with employees and governments to support vaccination programs that are equitable and accessible.

OceanaGold’s Executive Vice President, Sustainability, Sharon Flynn, said it was vital that effective and widespread vaccination programs were rolled out, to end the disruption and the damage to the global economy seen over the last 12 months.

“It will take all of us to end the loss of lives by working together with a truly risk-based approach, so the vulnerable groups are protected as a priority,” Sharon said.

The disparity between countries is quite considerable and it is our commitment to support the unique requirements of each government as they develop programs that meet the individual needs of their geographies and people,” she said.

“For example, in the Philippines the goal is for a ‘whole-of-society’ approach where the public and private sectors are coming together to deliver a unified and coordinated vaccination campaign. In the mining industry, a realignment of existing Social Development Management Programs and Safety and Health Program funds will assist remote communities access the vaccine. Programs like this directly align with our values and commitment to support equitable distribution.”

When gold was first discovered at ‘Macraes Flat’ by prospector James Crombie in 1862, it set off a series of gold rushes. Fast forward nearly 160 years, and the Macraes Operation – New Zealand’s largest active gold mine – produces between 140,000 and 150,000 ounces of gold annually.

The mine’s owner and operator, OceanaGold, is committed to the people and ecology that host its operation in the South Island, and that’s why they are undertaking a Social Change Assessment and driving continuous improvement.

We spoke to OceanaGold’s Macraes Operation Environment and Community Manager, Gavin Lee, and Social Performance Advisor, Danielle Crawford, about what the Social Change Assessment looks like, and how the company will use the data to inform their mining activities at Macraes into the future.

 Most of us have heard of a *Social Impact Assessment but what is a Social Change Assessment and are they common in the industry?

Gavin: It’s probably becoming more prevalent as the industry starts to look beyond how it can mitigate the potential issues associated with its operations and instead, considers how it plays a bigger role to influence positive outcomes. Full-scale modern mining at Macraes commenced in the early 1990s and over that time, Macraes has changed, Otago has changed, and certainly New Zealand has changed. As a large organisation that contributes significantly to the region’s economy, it’s important we keep abreast of those changes – demographics, policy direction, community need – they all drive our strategy moving forward.

Danielle: The Social Change Assessment has involved assessing and monitoring social changes over time – this means understanding the social and economic change happening in the Otago region, how the effects of the Macraes mine influence that change and community expectations for how the mine operates. This will help us identify what we can do better now and what we can do better in the future. For example, how we can better design our infrastructure, improve our operational policies and collaborate with communities and local government to support positive regional development, better design our infrastructure and operational procedures, to reduce the negative effects and seek benefits for the local community.

What do those benefits look like?

Gavin: One of the key influences mining can have on small communities is employment. OceanaGold is a major employer in the Otago region. The Social Change Assessment has looked at the impacts of employment on the local community – both now (during operations) and how we impact dependency impacts post mine closure. The data collected will help us plan how we continue to support the community long after we have gone.

Danielle: Another potential benefit is community partnerships as agents for positive economic or environmental change. A good example is our long-term partnership with Fish and Game New Zealand. We store fresh water about 18kms from the Macraes Operation which we pump to our Processing Plant for mineral processing. However, Fish and Game use the water to farm trout, and in turn, they distribute it across Otago. This is a great example of leveraging mine infrastructure to develop a partnership that supports recreation in the region.

Gavin: We are quite broad and innovative when considering where we can influence outcomes. We are the foundational sponsor for the Waitaki Whitestone Geo Park, which aims to showcase how the local geology interrelates with culture and history, business and gastronomy. Obviously, geology is a huge part of our core business and we can provide extensive education and resources, and in turn, play a role in boosting local tourism. We are also forming strong partnerships with local landowners and engaging in important discussions around integrated land use and conservation.

Why has OceanaGold undertaken this work?

Danielle: As a global mining company, we need to keep abreast of the changes happening around us. We’ve looked at where we operate and how we can use our expertise, influence and resources to achieve long-term, positive social and economic outcomes. In New Zealand, water, biodiversity and climate change are huge drivers for positive environmental change and as a global responsible miner, we are at the forefront of that thinking. 

Gavin: It’s about staying ahead of the game. Twenty years ago, the industry had a narrow view on how to manage social impacts and took purely a risk mitigation approach. For example, the machinery we use to mine an open pit might create some residual dust impacts to local residents, so how do we mitigate the dust…but really, the broader risk was around the issue gaining traction in the community and having the potential to stop works. That view only considers the operator or the project. We don’t think like that anymore – we can’t. The mining industry is always evolving. Today we approach risk mitigation with a broader, more opportunistic lens – it’s no longer just about risk to the project, it’s about risk to the community. In the same way you don’t mitigate safety issues because you are trying to reduce the cost of injury, you’re controlling a hazard to save lives and livelihoods.

What happens next?

Danielle: The Social Change Assessment was the first step in collecting extensive data about our influence and impact across the region, and New Zealand more broadly. The next step is to dig deeper to analyse and validate the findings, and we will involve the community in that process.

Gavin: This piece of work has allowed us to take a more systemic approach to managing and influencing our impact as we move ahead with plans to extend mine life at Macraes. We are part of the future in Otago, so it’s our responsibility to ensure our contribution leaves a positive legacy.

*A Social Impact Assessment is defined as: The process for the identification, analysis, assessment, management and monitoring of the potential social impacts of a project, both positive and negative

Construction is underway on an innovative passive water treatment system at the Reefton Restoration Project (formerly the Globe Progress Mine) to effectively manage the site’s water seepage.

When OceanaGold commenced closure at Reefton, the company committed to developing a water management solution that would exceed compliance requirements and continue to perform long after the site has been handed back.

The system – known as a Vertical Flow Reactor – removes heavy metals from water seepages before the water is gravity fed into Devil’s Creek. Although these metals (including iron and arsenic) exist naturally inside the rock, they could threaten the natural ecosystems if released at elevated levels.

The Vertical Flow Reactor has been designed specifically to meet OceanaGold’s high sustainability expectations for best practice mine closure. It’s the result of more than four years of research and trials – and spades of dedication – into effective, chemical-free water treatment solutions, and it has been the major focus of the Reefton Restoration Project’s Environmental Coordinator, Steph Hayton.

Steph dedicated her Master of Science towards the project, and with the help of her supervisors, the commitment and funding of OceanaGold, and support of specialist consultants, the project team turned an ambitious idea into reality.

“Our first discussion about possible passive water treatment solutions occurred as far back as 2015, when we started to think about closure and what we could do to prepare the site,” Steph said.

“In 2018 I started my Masters with a literature review and studied all the water treatment systems that have been used and tested globally. We then set up trials at Reefton with two of the most favourable systems – Bioreactors and a Vertical Flow Reactor,” she said.

“The trials ran over a two-year period and it became evident that the Vertical Flow Reactor worked exceedingly well – there was a noticeable difference in the hydraulic residence times (the time it takes for the water to move through the system), when compared to the Bioreactors. It showed removal rates of metals were high at relatively low residence times, and the captured solids proved to be more stable.”

Steph says the Vertical Flow Reactor has real potential to be utilised at other sites.

“Previously, we treated water through a Water Treatment Plant before discharging it offsite. This process is expensive, uses chemicals to perform the treatment process, and it’s labour intensive requiring extensive maintenance,” she said.

“Our solution using the Vertical Flow Reactor removes suspended metals from the water with little running cost, using gravity flows, and no added water treatment chemicals. It has been trialled extensively, with the final design developed to exceed compliance requirements and run as passively as possible.

“At OceanaGold, we have mine closure at the forefront of our minds, not only towards the end of a mine’s life, but during mining.

“The trials at Reefton have shown how important it is to test systems and learn what works at each site early to effectively develop closure plans. It’s so much more practical and reliable to use a passive system long-term.”

 What is the Vertical Flow Reactor?

The concept originated at Cardiff University, and was adapted by OceanaGold with help from the Verum Group and Mine Waste Management.

By oxygenating the water before it enters the Vertical Flow Reactor, the iron within the water comes out of solution, turning it into a reddish-brown colour. The iron particulate then gently settles on a gravel filter bed at the bottom of collection ponds.

Iron naturally attracts other metals, so it captures free-floating arsenic from the water. The water then continues its gravity fed course through the gravel bed and exits the system into the nearby Devil’s Creek. The solids are left behind in the collection pond, then removed and stored safely in a controlled storage area.

Over time, the metals will eventually be exhausted from the leachable area of the surrounding rock, and the ponds will continue to naturally spill into Devil’s Creek.

We often talk about responsible mining and sustainability being fundamental to the way we do business, but what does that look like in our day to day lives?

“We live and work in the communities that host our operations. We are part of the community and its critically important we get involved and build and maintain meaningful relationships,” said OceanaGold President and CEO Michael Holmes.

“We pride ourselves as being responsible miners and giving back to the community comes naturally to OceanaGold and our employees – it’s part of our culture,” he said.

2020 has been a challenging year for everyone. This year, OceanaGold has assisted communities through the global pandemic by donating time and goods and helping local economies by forming partnerships.

Let’s look at some of the ways OceanaGold and its employees have contributed to our host communities in 2020.

At our Waihi Operation in the North Island of New Zealand, a team of 30 volunteers established the Waihi Mines Recue Team and assist in emergency responses across the local community. The team has been involved in many rescues – of both the animal and human variety. During COVID-19, the volunteer team worked with the Waihi Salvation Army and local schools to deliver more than 240 essential food packages to families in need. They also raised over $20,000 for Leukaemia and Blood Cancer New Zealand in the Auckland Sky Tower Challenge.

In South Carolina in the United States where COVID-19 continues to be a challenge, our team (and their families) at the Haile Gold Mine dug deep to support the local community.

Jacob Clark, the nine-year-old son of Haile’s Senior Health, Safety & Security Training Coordinator, and member of Haile’s Mine Rescue Team, Russell Clark, helped to serve warm meals to elderly residents across Kershaw and Heath Springs. Other members of the Haile team made protective masks for the elderly and supported local nursing homes by supplying treats, games, art suppliers, greeting cards, murals, sidewalk art, stamps, and food and drink deliveries.

To continue supporting the community over the Christmas holiday period, the team organised two toy drives – the first with toys and donations for Samaritan’s Purse, and the second for the Mt Calvary Outreach Center, which serves hundreds of local Kershaw children. Santa and his elves (all part of Haile’s Mine Rescue Team) delivered the large pile of toys from under the Haile Family Christmas tree to the Depot for Mt Calvary’s “Drive-Thru” Holiday Christmas Party.

At the Didipio Mine in the Philippines, our team earmarked approximately PhP6-million Social Development Management Program funding to provide COVID-19 relief for the mine’s host and adjacent communities.  The team packed and distributed relief goods, including food and medical supplies, to almost 19,000 households in Didipio and adjacent barangays, and donated more than 4,300 face masks, 4,000 surgical masks, 80 gallons sanitising alcohol and other PPE such as goggles, full body coveralls, and disposable gloves.

“We are doing the best we can to support our partner communities as they address this health crisis and respond during this difficult time,” said Executive General Manager David Way.

Similar sentiment was felt by our team at the Macraes Operation in New Zealand’s South Island, who donated two unused respirator fit test kits to the Dunedin Hospital to help ensure frontline heath workers were properly protected.

IT Engineer Gerard Hyland took part in the ShieldsUpNZ movement – a crowdsourced stopgap initiative for PPE in the early phases of the pandemic – which involved members of the community helping to make shields for doctors and other health professionals using 3D printers. Gerard worked around the clock, producing 12 shields every 24 hours.

When the Buller District Council’s Socio-Economic Development Officer Rachel Fifield first stepped into Reefton’s Broadway Team Rooms and spotted a jar of the small town’s famed Browkins Honey, she had an idea.

OceanaGold – the global miner funding Rachel’s position for three years through the Reefton Restoration Project’s Socio-Economic Governance Fund – had planted a 250-hectare parcel of land with manuka and beech varieties to boost pollination of native species and increase biodiversity at the site. Rachel immediately saw the link.

“The local shop keeper pointed me to Oscar Brown, the founder and apiarist at Browkins, who’s partner happened to work out the back of the shop,” Rachel said.

“My job is to connect people and develop solutions that safeguard an economically diverse future for Reefton, post-mining,” she said.

“I thought, this is too good an opportunity to pass up: a small, local honey producer who could potentially expand his business through accessing this lush landscape at the Reefton Restoration project, which also met the Project’s environmental objectives. Gladly, both he and OceanaGold shared my enthusiasm.”

Browkins Honey, OceanaGold and the Reefton Visitor Centre have recently entered into a formal partnership through a Memorandum of Understanding to produce, bottle and sell the special manuka honey blend – aptly named ‘Reefton Gold’.

Browkins Honey has so far introduced around 50 hives to the site and will eventually sell the honey through the local I-site and West Coast markets, generating income and providing yet another diversified revenue stream to the region. With the new venture now up and running, Oscar Brown and his family plan to move closer to Reefton.

The Reefton Restoration Project’s Environmental & Restoration Coordinator Steph Hayton said the partnership was a win-win.

“The town of Reefton benefits from the introduction of a new, local family business and our site (the former Globe Progress Mine, now in the rehabilitation phase) is helped along by the pollination process of the bees,” she said.

Long-term, with the bee population doing its job, Reefton’s native species will self-generate and the site will return to its natural state much faster than it would have without the hives.

OceanaGold’s Environment Manager Kerry Watson said this is what responsible mine closure looked like.

“This initiative is community-focused at heart and such a clever, natural way to turn a post-mining landscape into productive land use, while improving biodiversity outcomes,” he said.

Last week global mining company OceanaGold made a commitment to immediate climate action, releasing a new statement of position on climate change that sets a net zero operational greenhouse emissions goal by 2050.

According to S&P Global, nearly 1.0 tonnes of CO2e (carbon dioxide equivalent) was emitted per ounce of gold produced globally in 2019[1], so it comes as no surprise that climate change has become a critical focus for the gold mining industry.

OceanaGold is already on track to reduce its carbon footprint. At 0.53 tonnes of CO2e per ounce of gold produced in 2019, OceanaGold’s emissions are much lower than the global average.

With increasing concerns about the industry’s impact on climate change and a growing environmental and social governance (ESG) focus from investors around the world, many organisations are planning for a just process to move to a net zero economy and society.

Climate change also presents a financial risk to the global economy. The Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) provides a framework to help organisations effectively report on climate risk, becoming the benchmark for ESG reporting on climate risk management and performance.

OceanaGold has established a roadmap of strategic actions to help reduce the company’s carbon footprint and improve energy management, including:

• Setting the goal to achieve net zero GHG emissions by 2050
• Establishing milestone interim emission targets by the end of 2021
• Establishing a climate change Technical Coordinating Committee to identify opportunities to reduce GHG emission intensity, and identify risks, opportunities, priorities and associated costs
• Undertaking climate change management and reporting to meet the requirements of the TCFD.

Setting the foundation

OceanaGold has a solid understanding of its current carbon emission and is a low greenhouse gas (GHG) emitter compared to the global gold mining average. 

Michael Holmes, President and Chief Executive Officer at OceanaGold said the company had been deeply committed to responsible mining for 30 years and was proud to be taking action to manage its carbon footprint.

“There is a long way to go, and our journey to net zero emissions won’t be linear. It will vary depending on production cycles, national infrastructure constraints and company growth opportunities,” Michael said.

OceanaGold aims to achieve the carbon reduction goal through the implementation of four key strategic areas:

1. Improved energy efficiency and energy reduction
2. Decarbonisation of electrical energy supply
3. Decarbonisation of mobile equipment fuel
4. Carbon sequestration.

“Deliberate and timely implementation of the four key carbon reduction strategies can reduce GHG emission intensity in line with OceanaGold’s goal and targets,” Michael said.

Macraes, a journey to a low-emissions gold mine

At the Macraes mine on the South Island of New Zealand, OceanaGold has already started scoping what a possible net zero carbon mine looks like.

Matthew Hine, General Manager for the Macraes Operation said this included the opportunity to implement a partial conversion of its fleet to electricity and biodiesel, and offset carbon dioxide emissions by increasing forestry offsets.

“Electrifying some of the mining fleet and blending biodiesel into the existing diesel consumption would reduce Scope 1 emissions by as much as 43 per cent” Matthew said.

“Macraes has partnered with the New Zealand Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA) to bring on an Energy Engineer who will work with us to integrate renewables and identify opportunities to continuously reduce our environmental impact,” he said.

 Looking to the future

Setting a goal is only the first step. OceanaGold will now turn its focus to implementing the recommendations of the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) and set clear actions and activities for the future.

Michael Holmes, President and Chief Executive Officer at OceanaGold said since 2018, OceanaGold had been implementing a company-wide program of automation, digital and process transformation called ADaPT, which was helping the company define its journey to operate the mines of the future.

“Digital transformation presents an industry-wide opportunity to enhance performance and reduce impact. Our commitment for 2020 was to develop strategies to mitigate the risks associated with climate change and establish measures and targets to improve the efficiency of our energy use and to minimise our greenhouse gas emissions intensity,” Michael said.

“A central part of the industry’s commitment to reducing its impact on climate is technology, this is where the opportunity lies. Rapid advances in technology innovation, including automation, digitisation and electrification are central to the mining industry’s commitment to reducing its environmental impact,” he said.

Standing at the launch of the newly named ‘Golden Globe Theatre’ at the Reefton i-SITE Visitor Centre in early September 2020, local Socio-Economic Development Officer Rachel Fifield is among good company. Company that is as equally invested in the popular local attraction – and in other reinvigoration initiatives – as she is.

Rachel is responsible for supporting projects focused on creating an economically sustainable future for the small town, which up until 2016 when the Globe Progress Mine closed, has been mining its goldfields since the mid-1800s.

It’s no small feat, but only eight months into the role and Rachel is making significant headway.

It’s taken the right person, with vision and creativity, and an open, relationship-based approach to work productively alongside so many and varied stakeholders. Included is her employer, the Buller District Council, and global miner OceanaGold, which is funding her role for three years. And of course, there’s the local community who are, arguably, the most heavily invested in Reefton’s future.

Originally from Nelson, Rachel uprooted in 2018 and moved 2.5 hours south to Reefton. At the beginning of 2020 she participated in a ‘social experiment’ of sorts: to work alongside community, Council and OceanaGold to ensure the legacy left at the former mine (now called the Reefton Restoration Project) met community expectations.

“During production, mining companies naturally invest in the local economy by moving entire operations to town. They employ its people and use local contractors and suppliers…so when mining stops, ethically, you can’t just leave. You would leave a gaping hole, not only in the ground, but in the local market,” Rachel said.

“There’s a moral obligation – especially in small towns like Reefton – for that investment to continue, but we need look beyond direct employment and develop solutions that safeguard a more economically diverse future.”

And that is part of OceanaGold’s vision for Reefton and part of its commitment to sustainability.

“While equally as important, mine closure is not just about environmental rehabilitation and restoration,” Rachel said.

“Sustainable outcomes don’t end when mining stops, so my role is to work with the community to ensure their input shapes the future of Reefton. A big focus of my role and OceanaGold is to ensure the community is economically sustainable.”

“We have established an Economic Diversification Governance Board – with representatives from across local government, iwi, OceanaGold, business and the community – to facilitate and govern the funds provided by the company to ensure the town thrives long after it leaves.”

The Reefton i-Site’s ‘Golden Globe Theatre’ has been once such project. Employing two permanent and two casual staff, the centre provides the new boutique theatre and a unique, underground mining experience for visitors.

“Tourism is important to Reefton, but not only that, the i-Site captures and protects the town’s long mining history dating back to the 19^th century.”

There have been other wins along the way where Rachel has linked community members to opportunities that help secure their futures. From travel funding grants for the local netball team, to new employment opportunities for people affected by recent COVID job losses, to expanding a local bee-keeper’s small business by linking him to OceanaGold’s extensive manuka varieties at Reefton.

Humbly, she explains: “My role is to connect people to the right resource, or person, so they can achieve their goals.”

It sounds simple, yet Rachel, who also runs a design studio in the heart of town and sits on the Inangahua Community Board, is consumed (happily) by community dropping in to share their ideas to secure the town’s future.

“Reefton is such a tight-knit community, which I’m so proud to now be a part of. You can see there’s a real energy in town because they have someone dedicated to helping them…OceanaGold made this possible.

“And yes, we’ve ticked off some of the initial projects, but this role hasn’t been done before and there’s so much scope to ensure we make a huge difference in the three years I’m employed.

“Together – Buller District Council, OceanaGold and the local community – we are truly paving the way for what’s possible in small towns after mining ends.

“I love Reefton and I’ve set myself some pretty big goals. Watch this space.”

Reefton Early Learning Centre, Sacred Heart School and Reefton Area School are all Enviroschools. There are over 1,300 Enviroschools around New Zealand, participating in an environmental action-based programme where young people are empowered to design and lead sustainability projects in their schools, neighbourhoods and country. Buller District Council is an Enviroschools regional partner.

OceanaGold’s Reefton Restoration Project donated 150 manuka and 50 beech trees to the Strand Project. The balance of the 400 trees planted were funded from the Buller District Council Community-led Revitalisation funding given to the Strand Revitalisation Project.

Each school was responsible for a different area. Sacred Heart planted on the Rosstown Road side, students from Reefton Early Learning Centre looked after the Lower Strand side and students from Reefton Area School planted the area behind the swimming pool and beside the look-out pier.

Earlier in the month Reefton Restoration Project staff had partnered with students at Sacred Heart School to plant seedlings on the school grounds, while in September they gave a tree seedling to each person who attended the opening of the Golden Globe Theatre at the Reefton Visitor Centre as a reminder of the event.

Reefton Restoration Project Environmental & Restoration Coordinator Steph Hayton said that OceanaGold had planted over 700,000 native seedlings at the mine site, with plans for at least another 200,000 by the end of 2022.

“It’s great to share some of the beautiful native trees we plant onsite with the community through planting initiatives. At the end of the day are all working towards the same goal, a resilient and sustainable environment,” Steph said.

The geopark registration is focused around geology, education and culture and brings those three aspects together to celebrate the uniqueness of the Waitaki geological region.

The proposed geopark will encompass the entire Waitaki District, including the fossils of Vanished World and the OceanaGold Macraes Operation. The Macraes Mine sits in the southern section of the proposed Geopark and offers a fantastic opportunity for educating the community (and tourists) on geology and how mining can be conducted in a responsible manner.

To oversee the development of the geopark and undertake the bid for the UNESCO registration, a WWG Trust was established in August 2018 with the Macraes Operation as a founding partner.

The Macraes Operation is a fantastic example of the geology of the district, hence why the mine has the potential to become a focus for the geopark, and to support significant development at a regional scale. Gerard Quinn, Regional Development Manager at Waitaki District Council has said, “We recognise that a sustainable economy will still need extraction of resources from the earth. Aside for the direct use of these natural resources, if land is used in a sustainable manner it will also provide benefits in the terms of employment and other economic and social opportunities. This is why the Trust is very happy to have OceanaGold as a founding partner.”

This opportunity aligns with the environment and community values OceanaGold is focused on achieving and represents the mine’s intention to support the local and wider community into the future.

The WWG will increase tourism in the region and provide an opportunity to increase geological education in the community.

Waihi Miners’ reflective area

The history of Waihi miners who tunnelled under enemy lines in France during WWI is recorded in a Miners’ Reflective Area in Waihi township.

Following the dedication in 2016 of a Tunnelling Company Memorial project, one of the largest events to occur in Waihi, the Miners’ Reflective Area was finally completed in 2019.

“This project is an example of how a community and a mining company can work constructively together to achieve something of lasting value,” OceanaGold’s senior communications advisor Kit Wilson says.

Miners’ Reflective Area takes shape

The community initiative started with a local heritage group approaching the Ministry of Culture and Heritage in 2013, and subsequently receiving $100,000 in funding to design and construct the Tunnelling Company Memorial, as part of the WWI centennial commemorations.

The Miners’ Reflective Area was designed as a multi-use public space of quiet reflection which would recognise miners past and present, and the contribution of these men, their families, and the industry to Waihi and New Zealand.

“Through the provision of practical in-kind assistance and support, and financial help, OceanaGold and the mine’s previous owners have put all of these values into action,” Wilson says.

“The object of this project was to bring their story back to life, to remind modern-day Waihi and New Zealand of these historical links, and to strengthen international Tunnelling Company links.”

The area chosen is part of Gilmour Reserve, a natural gathering place, which Wilson describes as “almost a village green”.

The land joins up Gilmour Lake to the Union Hill Walkway and beyond to the Pit Rim Walkway, all of which were Waihi Gold projects.

“This initiative would link these features as a valuable walking track and significant historical trail.”

Community support for Waihi operations

Encouraging the strong community support for OceanaGold’s Waihi operations is the company’s own strong support for the local community, with it taking the time to listen to the community’s aspirations and assist with community initiatives.

The collective energy put into creating the Miners’ Reflective Area has led to several additional co-operative projects, Wilson says.

They include the Waihi Lions Club/Waihi Heritage Vision Poppy Fence, the Waihi Heritage Vision Peace Wings Project, and the Waihi Heritage Vision Cross of Crosses.

“None of these initiatives would have been possible without close co-operation between mine staff and community members,” Wilson says.

Oral histories of miners’ descendants live on

Also inspiring the project is its contribution to the mining history of Waihi and the link between the local community and other countries sharing the New Zealand Tunnelling Company’s history – France, the UK, Australia, the Cook Islands and Norfolk Island.

OceanaGold Waihi provided financial assistance for a Heritage Group researcher and a videographer to record Tunnelling Company oral histories.

Wilson says “the oral histories were of particular importance as there was only a small number of Tunnellers’ children still alive.

“These descendants’ interviews were incorporated into the wider Waihi Gold Oral History Project, which ultimately saw over 60 local people interviewed on all aspects of early mining life in and around Waihi.”

Following the death of underground miner Tipiwai Stainton at Waihi, four new plaques were added to the Miners’ Reflective Area in honour and recognition of the four men who have died at the mine since 1952.

“The result is unique and is something that will continue to be a very special amenity for Waihi locals, visitors and mining families for many years to come,” Wilson says.

With mining companies facing increasing regulatory requirements, growing distrust from communities and scrutiny from investors around the way environmental, social and governance (ESG) impacts are managed, it is crucial for the industry to understand what good social performance is and how to implement it.

OceanaGold is open about its commitment to responsible mining, managing impacts, and contributing to communities and society more broadly.

Celebrating its 30^th anniversary in November this year, the company applies robust ESG practices across the business, with its performance recognised by the major ESG rating agencies, ranking in the top five globally in the gold industry.

In 2019, the World Gold Council launched the Responsible Gold Mining Principles – a set of 10 principles that establish clear expectations about what constitutes responsible gold mining across key environmental, social and governance issues in the gold mining sector.

As members of the World Gold Council, and with a seat on the Board, OceanaGold is among some of the world’s most forward-thinking gold mining companies, with a focus on the future for the industry.

Sharon Flynn, OceanaGold’s Executive Vice President & Head of External Affairs and Social Performance, said, “our multinational portfolio contributes to economic growth, employment and skills development. Our approach to sustainability is to build a positive legacy, delivering value throughout and beyond the life of our mines.”

“These societal outcomes are inextricably linked to the way we manage our operations and invest in sustainable, industry-leading practices at OceanaGold,” Ms Flynn said.

The importance of partnerships

Demands for more transparency and engagement are not going away.

“Mining companies must respond by acknowledging the concerns of stakeholders, being transparent in their operations, and by engaging with humility and openness with communities,” Ms Flynn said.

“It is vital to forge innovative and sustainable partnerships with local suppliers, governments, community groups, industry leaders, education providers, technology partners and NGOs.”

Social performance management

OceanaGold has an External Affairs and Social Performance (EA&SP) Management System. The system provides a framework to understand and manage how the company’s activities affect the communities it operates in and societal expectations for how it should operate.

“To do this, companies require the right set of skills, expertise and an organised professional approach based on sound methodologies,” Ms Flynn said.

“The EA&SP Management System helps us identify how we impact the communities and societies where we operate, how we can work to align our operational performance with local aspirations, values and culture, and how we should behave as a company and as employees.”

The EA&SP system in action

A social change assessment conducted at OceanaGold’s Didipio Mine in 2019 collected data to inform the mine’s future community focused operational decision-making. The project was key to better understanding the past, current and future impacts of the operation and to enhance OceanaGold’s social performance.

The assessment, which involved 14 barangays (villages) around the operation, identified and analysed the social changes that have occurred since mine development began in 1992 and how the changes are perceived by local stakeholders.

The assessment collected qualitative data through case studies, focus groups and in-depth interviews with members of the community. The work also involved a remote sensing project that collected geo-spatial data to look at changes in the mining footprint and, subsequently, the surrounding landscapes. This included artisanal mining, access roads and forestry across the Didipio Mine’s lifecycle.

“The assessment gave us a strong dataset to better understand how the Didipio mine has changed peoples’ lives – the positive and the negative. From here, we can work to identify key areas for improvement to better align how we work with local aspirations and expectations,” Ms Flynn said.

Looking ahead

Social performance can and must be continuously improved. As a mid-tier mining company, OceanaGold has strong systems and processes in place which area testament to the company’s governance and commitment to responsible gold mining.

“The gold, silver and copper we produce are essential to economic development and societal wellbeing—from renewable energy to life-saving medical devices and technologies that connect communities around the world. But there is no mine or mining project without social impacts,” Ms Flynn said.

“Good social performance means recognising social complexity across geographic, cultural and social landscapes and understanding how the business of mining changes the way people live and work.”

Mining and farming don’t seem like a likely pair – one relies on what’s on the land, and the other extracts from beneath it. But OceanaGold Waihi is proving the two can work in harmony.

The company own three blocks of farmland around their Waihi processing plant totalling 220ha, which is leased to and managed by three neighbouring farmers.

“We’re proud of the way we’ve managed to make the mine, farms and storage ponds function together, which we’ve been doing, and improving, since going underground in 2004,” says OceanaGold site project manager Kevin Storer. “With the help of our neighbouring farmers, we have beautiful land surrounding us.”

Cows and explosions

The farms’ daily operations are unaffected by what happens below, says Kevin. Being beneath a town of 4527 people, OceanaGold Waihi is used to mining in a way that creates minimal effects above ground.

This is achieved by carefully calculated placement of explosive charges, which detonate a microsecond apart and break the rock with minimal vibration on the surface.

Usually, the most impact felt above ground can be compared to a truck passing a house, so farming can continue as normal.

At the end of the 2017 season, OceanaGold signed an agreement with three neighbouring farmers, making them the managers of one OceanaGold block each – an extension to their own farms.

Prior to this, OceanaGold leased the land, and was responsible for the maintenance. “Our neighbours are great farmers. The land is always incredibly well kept,” says Kevin.

“Maintaining it ourselves worked okay but farming isn’t our profession, so we’re really happy with the decision.”

In total, the three farms graze 830 cows on OceanaGold’s blocks – mostly dairy, with 60 drystock.

About 48ha of OceanaGold’s south block is constructed from extracted rock from their open pit operation. The mounds are called Tailings Storage Facilities, or TSFs.

“The mine construction material isn’t harmful in any way, it’s just normal rock out of the ground. You can’t tell the difference between the land on south block and the adjoining farmland,” says Kevin.

Both TSF mounds have been rehabilitated with topsoil, sown with grass seed and converted into farmland, with a significant area dedicated to riparian planting. “Within three months of sowing everything’s green, and by the next season it’s being farmed.

“The South block is quite steep, so the farmer running it tends to only graze young heifers up there.”

Clean water

The mine has one operational TSF pond that stores tailings and excess water from the mining process, and rainfall. Water is sent from the pond to an onsite treatment plant, before being discharged into the Ohinemuri River.

The mine’s second TSF, named TSF2, was decommissioned in 2006. “The water in TSF2 is high enough quality to run directly into the waterways with no processing required.”

The active tailings pond is regularly tested. “Anomalies rarely happen, and if they do it’s usually just a matter of adjusting the PH levels – no different to what you’d do on a normal farm.

“People’s perception is that the pond is full of toxic material. There are trace elements of different minerals in there, but these are removed at the treatment plant.”

The water treatment plant’s polishing pond – the final stage before the water is discharged into the river – is clean enough to swim in. And people do. OceanaGold host a winter swimming event, called the Walrus Swim, every year. Fittingly, the winners receive a Walrus trophy. “It’s not just clean water for a mine – it’s considered clean by national standards,” says Kevin.

Bringing in the birds

The area around the two TSFs has attracted breeding pairs of endangered New Zealand Dotterels. It’s believed to be the only inland Dotterel breeding site in the North Island. “There are plenty of ducks and swans too, even on the active tailings pond. If you go there during duck season, it’s covered in them.”

As well as water testing, OceanaGold’s health, safety and environment team do regular sampling on all sites, and independent tests are carried out. All data is reported to Waikato Regional Council.

“We get annual soil test reports from the farmers and run our own extensive sample and testing regime,” says Kevin. “We manage trends through our database to ensure we’re not negatively affecting our surrounding environment.”

In the early days, OceanaGold worked with Massey University to complete yearly soil testing. “The university helped ensure the converted farmland was to standard, which created an opportunity for students to engage in the process.”

If OceanaGold’s proposed Project Quattro is approved, constructing another TSF will be permitted. Once mined, OceanaGold will stick to the same process, using leftover rock to construct farmland. “Leaving behind usable land, when the mining is over, is part of our duty of care.”

Multinational gold producer OceanaGold, with global operating, development and exploration experience, is serious about sustainability.

And company spokesman Kit Wilson says OceanaGold’s commitment to achieving sustainable outcomes does not end when their mining operations cease.

“For us the closure of a mine site is simply a transition to a new phase of operations, and a new Opportunity to achieve additional important sustainability targets.”

He says the former Globe Progress Mine at Reefton is a leading example of OceanaGold’s

Commitment to achieving sustainable outcomes after mining operations cease.

OceanaGold operated the Globe Progress Mine for about 10 years, and on average, moved approximately 23 million tonnes of material each year.

As a result of more than 610,000 ounces being extracted from the site, the depth of the main pit was 275m below the highest ground surface. However, in 2016, the mine transitioned from an operational phase to closure and rehabilitation and has since come to be known as the Reefton Restoration Project.

“The Reefton Restoration Project is largely focused on achieving environmentally sustainable outcomes. Central to the project is the re-establishment of vital ecosystems in the new post-mining landscape.”

In order to achieve this, OceanaGold has already undertaken a large-scale reforestation programme, covering 118ha. So far 700,000 seedlings have been planted, and a further 200,000 seedlings will be planted over the next 3 years.

The reforested areas predominately include species native to New Zealand, such as Beech and Manuka varieties, to provide homes for local wildlife species and enhance biodiversity outcomes.

In addition to planting, the progressive rehabilitation pf the former mine site also includes waste rock reshaping, backfilling operations, spreading of topsoil, and pest management, to ensure that the environment is visually integrated into the surrounding landscape.

Kit Wilson says the Reefton Restoration Project also includes  social sustainability targets to benefit the local community.

“A major target of the project was to support local community projects and since the rehabilitation phase began the company has provided $150,000 in funding for a local socio-economic development office, and $50,000 funding for local community projects.”

OceanaGold has also provided reinvigoration funding $50,000 to the local I-Site visitors centre to encourage tourism for the area.

The restoration project also aimed to offer employment opportunities for local community members, and several positions have been filled by local people, while the local and regional economy has also been bolstered through the procurement of goods and services.

Steph Hayton, the Environmental and Restoration Coordinator at OceanaGold, says working on the project has been a hugely rewarding experience.

“Working on a project like this has required an adaptive management style where research and trial work informs decisions on all aspects of closure,” says Steph.

“This includes restoration trials determining rehabilitation methods at the beginning of the operation, all the way through to the establishment of passive treatment trials for long term management of onsite water when the first went into closure.”

Steph says the approach has meant innovative techniques creating some great long-term solutions.

“While some aspects of closure have been easier than others the work towards closure has been extremely satisfying, with rehabilitated areas of the site now hosting many native bird species including the nationally vulnerable South Island Kaka.”

Babbage Consultants Limited, a New Zealand based multi-disciplinary consultancy, has been providing support to OceanaGold on the project.

Among several services provided to OceanaGold, Babbage has conducted ongoing water quality monitoring and guidance on wetlands for a lake side margin and also a treatment wetland to enhance downstream water quality While OceanaGold has already made many

Significant environmental and social gains in the rehabilitation phase, the Reefton Restoration Project is not due to be completed for a few more years.

However, the project is already showing signs that it represents a new gold standard for mine rehabilitation.

In the coming two years, the project team will continue their environmental work, and the reinstatement of adjacent historic tracks.

Upon completion, OceanaGold will hand back the land to the New Zealand Department of Conservation in accordance with its council consent.

The former Globe Progress Mine, located in New Zealand’s South Island, is a leading example of achieving sustainable outcomes.

By Reefton Restoration Project, OceanaGold, and Ashley Bartlett , Babbage Consultants

Multinational gold producer OceanaGold is serious about sustainability. However, unlike many other mining companies, OceanaGold’s commitment to achieving sustainable outcomes does not end when their mining operations cease. Rather, for OceanaGold, the closure of a mine site is simply a transition to a new phase of operations, and a new opportunity to achieve additional important sustainability targets.

The former Globe Progress Mine, located in New Zealand’s South Island, is a leading example of OceanaGold’s commitment to achieving sustainable outcomes after mining operations cease.

OceanaGold operated the Globe Progress Mine for about 10 years, and on average, moved approximately 23 million tonnes of material each year. As a result of more than 610,000 ounces of gold being extracted from the site, the depth of the main pit was 275 m below the highest ground surface. However, in 2016, the mine transitioned from an operational phase to closure and a rehabilitation phase and has since come to be known as the Reefton Restoration Project.

Environmentally Sustainable Outcomes

The Reefton Restoration Project is largely focused on achieving environmentally sustainable outcomes. Central to the project is the re-establishment of vital ecosystems in the new post-mining landscape.

In order to achieve this, OceanaGold has already undertaken a large-scale reforestation programme, covering 118 hectares. To date, approximately 700,000 seedlings have been planted, and a further 200,000 seedlings will be planted over the next three years.

The reforested areas predominately include species native to New Zealand, such as Beech and Manuka varieties, to provide homes for local wildlife species and enhance biodiversity outcomes.

In addition to planting, the progressive rehabilitation also includes waste rock reshaping, backfilling operations, spreading of topsoil, and pest management, to ensure that the environment is visually integrated into the surrounding landscape.

Furthermore, the Reefton Restoration Project includes impressive social sustainability targets to benefit the local community. A major target of the project was to support local community projects and since the rehabilitation phase began, OceanaGold has provided funding for a local socio-economic development officer (NZ$150,000), and further funding for local community projects (NZ$50,000). They have also provided reinvigoration funding (NZ$50,000) to the local I-SITE visitors centre to encourage tourism for the area.

The restoration project also aimed to offer employment opportunities for local community members, and several positions have been filled by local people, while the local and regional economy has also been bolstered through the procurement of goods and services.

Rewarding Experience

Steph Hayton, the Environmental and Restoration Coordinator at OceanaGold, said that working on the project has been a hugely rewarding experience.

She stated that working on a project like this has required an adaptive management style whereby research and trial work informs decisions on all aspects of closure. This includes restoration trials determining rehabilitation methods at the beginning of the operation, all the way through to the establishment of passive treatment trials for long-term management of onsite water when the first went into closure. This approach has meant innovative techniques creating some great long-term solutions.

While some aspects of closure have been easier than others the work towards closure has been extremely satisfying, with rehabilitated areas of the site now hosting many native bird species including the nationally vulnerable South Island Kaka.

Babbage Consultants Limited has been providing support to OceanaGold on the project.

Amongst several services provided to OceanaGold, Babbage has conducted ongoing water quality monitoring and guidance on wetlands for a lake side margin and also a treatment wetland to enhance downstream water quality outcomes.

Dr Grant Allen, a senior environmental scientist at Babbage, says that working together with the team at OceanaGold has been very rewarding. Reflecting on the project, Grant said that it is great to see companies, such as OceanaGold taking its responsibility for the environment seriously and then proceeding to go above and beyond to demonstrate that mine sites can be properly rehabilitated.

Looking ahead, he said that it would be fantastic to see more mine operators following in OceanaGold’s footsteps, taking up the challenge of rehabilitating their former mine sites to allow the environment to recover and prosper.

While OceanaGold has already made many significant environmental and social gains in the rehabilitation phase, the Reefton Restoration Project is not due to be completed for a few more years.

However, the project is already showing signs that it represents a new gold standard for mine rehabilitation. In the coming two years, the project team will continue their environmental work, and the reinstatement of adjacent historic tracks. Upon completion, OceanaGold will hand back the land to the New Zealand Department of Conservation in accordance with their council consent.

There are many processes, machines, and tools in mining that can cause harmful noise exposures to employees. At Haile Gold Mine, during a routine personal industrial hygiene monitoring, Mary Koerner, Senior Health & Safety Coordinator and her team identified that exploration drills were exposing employees to excessive noise levels.

Mary joined the Haile Gold Mine team in 2019, after working in health and safety in the mining, natural gas and aerospace industries for 12 years. She says her passion working in this field was amplified after joining the company, which has the safety and wellbeing of its people as its number one priority. “Helping people has always been my driving force and my role at OceanaGold has really reinforced that personal ambition,” Mary says.

In a joint effort between exploration and health and safety teams, several engineering controls were tested on the drills to reduce noise levels. The goal was to limit levels to an acceptable rate whereby drillers would only be required to wear single hearing protection – or even better – no hearing protection at all.

Potential noise sources were identified including the muffler, the engine and the head rotation speed. The team, lead by Exploration Supervisor, Justin Adams (with Mary in the picture), resolved to place a one-inch insulation under the rotation guard for the drill steel, which would reduce noise impacts by enclosing the noise source and creating a barrier between it and the driller. This solution succeeded in reducing the sound pressure level by from 98.7 dBA to 93 dBA.

Mary says this innovative solution will have profound, positive impacts on the drillers’ quality of work life for years to come. Teamwork, and collaborative processes that fostered innovation, were the key to success.

“Careful collection and presentation of data is key. And, while my job can be challenging at times, improving the health, morale and productivity of our team is what drives me to do better, every day.”

Image: Mary Koerner, Health & Safety Superintendent for Haile Gold Mine, graduated with a BA in Environmental Science Biology from The University of Montana Western and an MS in Industrial Hygiene from Montana Tech.