The Waitaki Whitestone UNESCO Global Geopark was designated in May this year as New Zealand’s first and Australasia’s only UNESCO Global Geopark. The designation marks the region’s significance as ‘a single, unified geographical area where sites and landscapes of international geological significance are managed with a holistic concept of protection, education and sustainable development’.

To celebrate the designation, the Waitaki Whitestone Geopark Trust have partnered with over 35 local businesses and community organisations to put together three days of events and activities spanning the Waitaki District, between Friday 27 October and Sunday 29 October 2023.

Macraes Operation general Manager, Mike Fischer, said the operation was proud to be a founding partner of the Waitaki Whitestone Geopark Trust and to support the festival and the Waitaki District, which had so much to offer.

“The Macraes Operation is a fantastic example of the geology of the district and supports significant development at a regional scale,” Mike said.

“It is a pleasure to launch this self-guided tour and share more information about historic and modern mining in the region, including how safe and responsible mining contributes to the park’s holistic concept of protection, education and sustainable development,” he said.

“While it is not possible for the public to be on an operating mine site, the team here at Macraes set up the next best thing, by making parts of our activities visible to the public.”

“From tomorrow, you will be able to start your tour at The Hub and get up close and personal with one of New Zealand’s largest excavators. You will also get a spectacular view into the Frasers Open Pit, which offers an opportunity to see large mining equipment in action.”

“Once you have been to the Hub, hop in your car and use the tour map to guide you to the other locations The stops on the tour include The Hub, the Deepdell Viewing Area, a historic gravel pumping display, a historic stamper battery and Macraes Village. Interpretive panels at each location will provide information about the unique features of the area.”

In October 2022, Gemma McDonald joined OceanaGold as Group Manager – Commercial for the Asia-Pacific region. With over 15 years’ experience in senior procurement and commercial roles in the mining industry, Gemma is enjoying a role that is both hands on and strategic, and a culture where people really care – about each other and performance.

Just 12 months after joining OceanaGold, Gemma McDonald is already making a valuable impact, whether it’s establishing initiatives that propel others to succeed, balancing resources to achieve optimum results or crafting a role that is equally strategic and hands-on.

Attributing her positive journey to the global company’s relatively small size and strong culture, and being surrounded by inspiring senior leaders that care about their people, Gemma is excited to grow her future with the company.

“What’s unique about OceanaGold is its personable approach.” Gemma said.

“The energy of let’s get this done together is a core element of our culture. For a small team, this breeds success,” she said.

“Joining OceanaGold has felt like being welcomed into a family. Many of my colleagues are long-standing employees and everyone wants to share their experience and history of the company.”

Day to day Gemma works across OceanaGold’s Asia Pacific operations – the Waihi and Macraes operations in New Zealand and Didipio Mine in the Philippines – supporting  operational teams to deliver commercial outcomes that align with business objectives.

“Coming into what was a newly established role has been liberating and challenging,” she said.

“I support capital expenditure application reviews and approvals through to anything budgeting, forecasting and analysis related from a financial, operational and commercial delivery perspective. I love that I’ve been able to shape my role to balance tactical and strategic outputs.”

Gemma says OceanaGold employees benefit from a greater level of visibility across centralised and operational roles. For Gemma this has resulted in valuable exposure to leaders within the business.

“Since late 2022, I’ve had the opportunity to be an Executive Committee Coordinator as part of a 12-month internal rotating development program. Through this I’ve been fortunate to witness first-hand how decisions are made at the executive and senior levels of the business.”

An intrinsic passion for customer service forms the basis of Gemma’s approach in bringing together teams to achieve success.

“I love helping the operations to deliver and achieve positive results. Success in growth doesn’t happen in a vacuum, it’s a team effort. There are a lot of people at OceanaGold that genuinely believe this mantra and that’s what makes us different,” Gemma said.

Reflecting on the past 12 months, Gemma has enjoyed traveling to different sites, crafting positive working relationships with operational teams and embracing cultural nuances. Introducing coaching opportunities within site commercial teams has been a key initiative.

“Exploring cultural differences between operations in New Zealand and the Philippines has taught me to have more appreciation around resourcefulness and investigate new ways to achieve optimum outcomes.”

When it comes to growing a future at OceanaGold, Gemma is most excited about the opportunity to be part of a small team that continues to achieve positive global results.

“In an organisation the size of OceanaGold, with its global footprint and complex multi-disciplinary assets, it’s motivating to be a part of the company’s growth,” she said.

“You can look at a result or figure and identify exactly how you personally contributed to achieving that outcome. This isn’t always possible at larger organisations and for me that’s a special part of OceanaGold.”

Come grow with us at OceanaGold. To find out more visit https://oceanagold.com/

In this video Emily shares her experiences in the mining industry, working at Haile and how much she enjoys being part of the local community.

OceanaGold President and CEO Gerard Bond said he was proud the Company had been approached to be involved as an example of a leading mine closure at their Reefton Restoration Project (former Globe Progress Mine) in the South Island of New Zealand.

“To have our work in New Zealand recognised internationally as a leading example of restoration and mine closure is testament to both the culture and practice of OceanaGold and the tremendous work done by the team at the former mine site,” Mr Bond said.

“Our Purpose – mining gold for a better future – helps define our strategic and day-to-day thinking. This not only helps us to create a better future for all our stakeholders – our people, the communities that host us, our business partners and shareholders – but also makes good business sense,” he said.

“Our Company touches people’s lives and we take our responsibility to them and the environment seriously.”

“At Reefton, we are leaving behind a safe, stable and sustainable site. We show how a former mine site can be returned to nature.”

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

Nearing her eighth year at OceanaGold, Jackie St John is reflecting on her time with the Company, and the changes to the political landscape and across the mining industry.

Newly promoted to the role of New Zealand Manager – Legal, Jackie says the collective, global brains trust across OceanaGold’s corporate and operational teams has inspired her to become a better and more strategic leader through some dynamic times for the sector.

“Environmental and local government law and policy changes have been tricky to navigate – but it’s certainly kept things interesting,” Jackie said.

“The policy direction on mining regulation in New Zealand is evolving and more than ever, we are future-focused, so it’s an exciting space to be in.”

This is Jackie’s second promotion since she joined OceanaGold.

“It’s a strategic role and there’s a stronger opportunity to influence and guide decision making. It’s forward looking and it’s both pleasing and challenging to provide advice that best places the business into the future.”

Jackie says the culture and camaraderie at OceanaGold is awesome, and despite the operational diversity at each of the Company’s mines, the global teams are united in vision, values and success ingredients that bond them together.

“At OceanaGold, we are given opportunities to think like a business owner and when you are trusted to make decisions and provide strategic input, there’s a real sense of ownership and belonging,” she said.

“Benefits of my new role include a long-term incentive plan including company shares, which is pretty cool and something I’ve never been offered to date in my career.”

Outside her day job, Jackie has volunteered with the Rotary Club of Dunedin for nearly 20 years, and for 10 of those, she has also supported disaster relief charity ShelterBox, which helps displaced communities after natural disasters.

She said OceanaGold allows her the time and space to contribute to these community service interests.

“The skills I have gained from these voluntary organisations directly impacts and benefits the Company and vice versa.

“For me, that’s the true meaning of work-life balance – it’s not just about the flexibility of working from home, it’s about complementing your career and life interests for shared beneficial outcomes.”

Outside of family, climate change and community are two important things to Jackie.

“Aligning my personal values to my work gives me purpose.

“There is a common misconception that miners are polluters not protectors, which is incredibly disappointing. We know there are benefits from mining that otherwise wouldn’t occur – ecological, economic and community to name a few.

“Responsible mining is not just a phrase – it’s embedded into law, and at OceanaGold, our systems, processes and culture too.

“Government departments often aren’t resourced to do what we do in this space – we employ experts, we are focused on climate change and we are legislated and values-driven to close mines in a socially and environmentally responsible way. Contributing to the Company’s Responsible Mining ethic through my role matters to me.”

Come grow with us at OceanaGold. To find out more visit https://oceanagold.com/

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/

Just down the road from the Macraes gold mine is the small settlement of Macraes Flat. During the gold rush in the 1860s, it was a busy mining town with around 25 businesses and a population of 500 people. Miners used shovels, pans, cradles, sluice boxes, sluicing and stamping batteries for both alluvial and hard rock mining.

Today, little remains from those times, but one building that has stood the test of time is Stanley’s Hotel.

The stone single-story Stanley’s Hotel was built in 1880s for owner Thomas Stanley. Thomas was the son of a sea captain who took over a ramshackle wooden building in the settlement and engaged a stonemason from Hyde, called Budge, to ‘build me an inn that will last”.

The schist stone for the building was quarried from a hill behind the local Catholic Church and transported by horse and cart to the site. Legend has it the entrance hall was laid with marble destined for St Joseph’s Cathedral in Dunedin that was waylaid along the way.

The stonemason, Budge, was well known for his craftsmanship, but also his great love of beer. It took him five years to complete the Stanley’s Hotel building and during this time he was paid in beer. It has been reported he consumed “72 hogsheads in all”, equivalent to over 51,000 cans today.

Stanley’s was renowned for the quality of its food and hospitality in an age when wayside food and lodging were of great importance in isolated communities. The hotel remained in the Stanley family until 1960.

Today Stanley’s Hotel is the centrepiece of the small settlement of Macraes Flat The building is owned by OceanaGold and leased to hoteliers who welcome patrons daily. The company has spent over $300,000 in earthquake strengthening and refurbishing of the hotel and its outbuildings, which include a billiards room, a stone shed, stables and pig pen.

Another reminder of the early days of gold mining – Callery’s Battery – requires visitors to cross an active mine haul road where large mine trucks cart ore to the company’s Process Plant. When the road is clear a guard signals that it safe to cross, and members of the public can drive their cars to the Golden Point Historic Reserve carpark then proceed on foot to the battery.

Callery’s Battery is New Zealand’s best surviving example of an authentic working stamper battery on its original site. Built in 1902 to serve the Golden Point gold mine, the five-stamper plant operated until the 1950s and processed both gold and scheelite. Hundreds of stamper batteries used to operate across New Zealand, but almost all were sold for scrap in the middle of last century.

In May 2020 Callery’s Battery was listed as a Category One Historical Place on the New Zealand Heritage List. The battery is now protected and looked after by the New Zealand Department of Conservation as an outstanding example of a small-scale stamp battery in original working condition. It shows how a stamp battery was set up to run, with its stamps, drive train and power source all intact and how all the smaller elements in a battery, such as workshops, electrical plant and the forge were arranged.

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

When describing what it’s like to work as a geologist for multinational gold miner OceanaGold, Chief Geologist Jon Moore says there is a real sense of achievement as projects develop into operating mines.

“Much of what we do is about combining geological observations from rock exposure and drill core with geochemical assays* to produce statistical estimates,” he said. “We need statistics because we typically only assay three or four teaspoons-worth of sample for each Olympic swimming pool-sized volume of rock. And those teaspoons might only have one or two parts per million of gold in them.”

“Evaluating a new project is a team effort – geologists, engineers, metallurgists, environmental scientists, safety, legal and community specialists to determine the risks, value and opportunities.”

“There’s a huge responsibility that comes with that.”

And with 25 years’ experience at OceanaGold, Jon has been involved in much of the company’s growth and success, from its original home at Macraes in New Zealand’s South Island, to its expansion in-country, and then internationally to operations in the Philippines and the United States.

“The company started in 1990 as an open pit operation at Macraes and by 2008 had successfully added the Frasers Underground at that operation, and the Globe Progress Mine at Reefton in New Zealand’s South Island,” he said.

“During that period, OceanaGold built technical capacity and team culture, positioning us to develop Didipio.”

The Didipio Mine in the Philippines provided a step change in terms of challenges: operating internationally, learning to operate in another culture and tropical climate, building road access and infrastructure in a remote location, becoming a first-time copper producer, and listing under the TSX regulatory framework.

“Initially, the geological challenges were to rebuild the gold-copper estimate from first principles, starting with the validation of existing geological and geochemical data,” he said.

“Much of the data was traced back to boxes of dust-laden electronic drives and hard copy reports accumulated over the years. It was fascinating work, and the project owes much of its success to the dedication of previous workers.”

Jon said once mining commenced, the geology team’s focus was no longer solely on the mining of ore with work continuing across all stages of a mine’s development.

“Before we commit to a project, we look at the quantity and quality of the orebody, we assess the opportunities for exploration success and growth as well as any environmental and other considerations,” he said.

“Once the operation is successfully commissioned, we transition to operational support, mentoring and governance functions. More recently the focus has been on building common systems across our operations.”

With operations across three continents, OceanaGold’s mines comprise remarkably diverse geology contexts which require different approaches to estimation and mining, but the underlying processes are the same.

“The deposits range from narrow sub-vertical gold-silver vein deposits at Waihi, to moderately-dipping metasediment-hosted gold-silver mineralisation at Macraes and Haile, through to the sub-vertical gold-copper porphyry orebody at Didipio,” Jon said.

“Each brings their own challenges during the technical study and project development phases.”

Jon said there was significant growth potential at all OceanaGold operations with the Waihi Operation a great example of the ‘long game’ in the mining industry.

He said OceanaGold acquired the mine in 2015, seeing large growth potential in the Martha deposit as well as in the district in general. The company received consent to develop the Martha Underground in early 2019, which will extend the life of the Waihi mine by many years.

“The extensive mining history at Waihi, spanning approximately 140 years, not only reflects a world-class gold endowment, but also an evolved and highly skilled geology and mining culture,” he said.”

“Historical mine sections and plans allowed the Waihi geology team to reconstruct the architecture of the entire Waihi Mine vein system.”

“A three-dimensional block model was created which provided the framework for conceptual mine planning as well as the basis for staged infill core drilling to incrementally improve our confidence in the geology and mineralisation and prove up resources and reserves.

“Six years on, the Waihi development pipeline speaks for itself.”

In 2021, with the Martha Underground mine now in production OceanaGold has commenced a process to extend the life of mining through the development of the Waihi District including the proposed Waihi North and Martha Open Pit Projects.

*An assay is a process of analyzing a substance to determine its concentration, composition or quality, typically used in the mining industry to refer to tests of mineralisation or minerals.

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!

OceanaGold’s highly skilled Mines Rescue and Emergency Response Teams manage all emergency response equipment and implement the operational Emergency Response Program at each of our operations.

The teams are trained and certified in all areas of incident response including fire, underground search and rescue, vertical rope rescue, vehicle extraction, pre-hospital emergency care, hazardous material response and medical and accident response. They facilitate emergency response training onsite, and within host and adjacent communities as required or requested.

As part of our Waihi Operation’s commitment to the community, we have established strong relationships with local emergency services to assist with community events such as rope rescues, assisting at traffic accidents, and providing additional help to the local Coast Guard.

“Regular exercises and liaison with these groups has broadened the team’s experience and also allowed the community emergency response units to be aware of the equipment and skills the Mines Rescue Team has to offer,” said Waihi Operation Emergency Response Coordinator Jed Moriarty.

To ensure team members maintain strong physical fitness to assist in these events, each year they are required to complete a Physical Competency Test (PCT). At our Waihi Operation, this involves completing a series of tasks within a one-hour period while wearing an open circuit breathing apparatus. The course, which must be completed twice by each team member within one hour, includes weight-bearing exercises involving up walking up steep inclines, over sets of stairs, filling a drum with wet sand and crawling through confined tunnels. Our Macraes Operation team members undergo a similar program called a ‘Functional Capacity Test’.

“The goal is to record a low heart rate at the completion of the course, and after a 10-minutes rest, bring their heart rate down to as close to their resting heart rate as possible,” Jed said.

Each year our Mines Rescue Teams from Waihi and Macraes participate in the Leukaemia Foundation’s Sky Tower Stair Challenge to raise funds for Leukaemia & Blood Cancer New Zealand.

This event sees firefighters and emergency rescue teams from throughout New Zealand gather in Auckland in full rescue equipment and take on the Sky Tower Stair Challenge – 328 metres, 1103 steps, 51 flights of stairs to the top of the Sky Tower. In 2021 the teams raised over NZ$41,000 to support Leukaemia and Blood Cancer New Zealand.

The participants are the first to admit the climb is not for the faint hearted but point out they already have a good level of fitness to build on. They say the real challenge is fundraising, but they have been generously supported by the company, businesses and individuals in the past.

Macraes Emergency Response Coordinator  Steve Renton said: “Nothing can really prepare you for what you are going to encounter on the day, and having done it about six times now, it’s just a case of start at the bottom and keep on going till you get to the top.”

At our Haile Operation, the focus for our Underground Rescue Team has been preparing for underground mining and the emergency response challenges this presents, with equipment being purchased and a new training regime being implemented.

Trainer Rusty Duncan said there were strict regulations in place for both equipment and training. “You need 20 hours of BG4 training, 50 hours of medical training, 50 hours of HAZMAT and 50 hours of confined space training and then there’s rope rescue training on top of that,” he said.

To assist with this, the team used three shipping containers and large tubing to build an underground environment that closely simulated an underground emergency situation.

Rusty said the team’s goal had always been to do as much training in house as possible.

“I want other Mine Rescue teams to look at us and see our training facility and think it’s something they would want to come to,” he said.

As the largest gold mining operation on the east coast of the United States, Haile’s Underground Rescue Team will be the only gold mining rescue team in the area.

Trainer Genalee Jones, who joined the Haile team with prior underground experience, says the team is more than up for the challenge.

“I’ve seen a lot of mine rescue teams. And I’ve seen a lot of competition teams. From day one, this is the best group I’ve seen. We’re not a bunch of co-workers. We’re family.”

Brand new challenges await, but the group is eager to keep going and proud to look back at how far the journey has taken them.

“I’m really looking forward to this. We’re in this together and we’re going to support each other just like families do,” Genalee said.

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.

Having just graduated from university with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, and living and working in Manila, Reynaldo Pugong Jr (known as Rey) received an urgent call from his mother telling him to come home to the barangay (village) where he was born – Didipio.

Thankfully, it wasn’t an emergency. Rey’s mum wanted him home because OceanaGold had started a process to re-open the Didipio Mine, which it acquired in 2006 through a merger with Climax Mining Ltd.

The company was recruiting a Community Relations Assistant to engage with the local community as part of the mine design and construction process, and being a local Didipian, Rey’s mum thought he would be the perfect candidate. She was right.

“It was an opportunity too good to refuse – working with a global miner in my hometown. Of course, I applied, and I was lucky enough to succeed,” Rey said.

And over the last 10 years, succeed is what Rey has done. Through learning on the job opportunities and close mentorship from his senior peers, Rey’s career has forged ahead at Didipio.

Rey was first was promoted in 2013 to a more senior role in the Community Relations Team and over the five years that followed, he contributed to developing and delivering the region’s first ever local capacity building program which included providing more than 10,000 hours of pre-employment training each year across the region. In the process, Rey developed invaluable and life-long relationships with residents in the host community of Didipio and in adjacent barangays.

“At OceanaGold, for those directly affected communities and stakeholders – those who are most impacted by our operations – we seek to obtain and sustain a broad base of support,” Rey said.

“Relationships take time to foster and I’m most proud of the sustained, mutual effort between our team and the broader community, including the local government, to get the Didipio Mine fully operational and producing by 2013.”

Marjorie Idio, Communications and External Affairs Superintendent and one of Rey’s mentors, agreed: “Rey understands Didipio in ways only a local can. His energy, determination, and passion for improving people’s lives was channelled into our programs that provided educational opportunities and built local capacity that otherwise wouldn’t have happened in this agricultural landscape,” she said.

“Rey is a team player and action-oriented, qualities we value at OceanaGold. So, while Rey worked to build the skills of people in the community, we worked with Rey on building his career.”

In 2017, Rey’s career path verged a little to the left as he started to explore the idea of moving into an operational role. With no technical experience, the company supported his career aspirations and developed him into an Operator at its paste backfill plant – the first of its kind in the Philippines.

Rey’s competence in the paste plant group was achieved though hands-on training, self-development, and close mentoring by his group leaders. Again, Rey’s steadfast determination and hard work paid off when he was promoted in 2018 to Paste Plant Supervisor.

Didipio’s People, Culture and Technology Manager, Vanessa Aliaga, said Rey’s valuable community relationships would greatly benefit his new operational role – and the company more broadly – as he was trained to consider the mine’s potential impacts, mitigations and most importantly, its legacy.

“The awareness and understanding gained from first-hand experience living and working in the community is invaluable when making operational decisions,” Vanessa said.

Now raising a family of his own in Didipio, Rey is determined to continue building leadership skills to foster his career growth at OceanaGold.

“Not long ago, through funding from OceanaGold, we supported the education of the first local mining engineer and the first geologist to be born right here in Didipio,” Rey said.

“If the mine continues operating here, the opportunities available to my children will be endless – as a father and a proud Didipian, that’s all I could ask for.”

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.

With low turnover and a predominantly male underground workforce, the management team at OceanaGold’s Waihi Operation, in New Zealand’s North Island, has commenced a journey to increase female participation and promote a more inclusive work environment.

“There is a really strong desire by the whole team – and more broadly across OceanaGold – to increase diversity, equity and inclusion across our workplaces, especially in roles traditionally perceived to be ‘male only’, such as underground operations,” said OceanaGold’s New Zealand People and Culture Manager, Brigid Quinn.

“What we know is that modern mining workplaces are based on male centred design – that’s not a criticism of OceanaGold or any other mining company – it’s simply because, in the past, predominantly only males were employed for such labour-intensive work and these roles attracted males more than females,” she said.

“And quite possibly, that’s why there’s a strong perception in our community – which makes up most of our workforce – that underground roles are only suitable for men.”

“We‘ve set out to change that perception, but first, we need to better understand how our environment can adapt to ensure we attract and retain growing numbers of females in operational roles so they feel at ease with their workplace environment and conditions.”

The Waihi team engaged female inclusion expert and Director at Shesfreetobe, Kristy Christensen, to undertake a Workplace Design Assessment called ‘A Day in Her Life.’

The assessment reviewed both the surface and underground layouts at Waihi (including job design, equipment design and facilities), PPE (personal protective equipment) provisions and site policies against the health, safety and wellbeing needs of female employees.

Kristy confirmed our experience; the small female talent pool in the New Zealand mining industry made it highly competitive, and that OceanaGold needed to invest in ways to make the company, and industry, a more desirable destination for a long-term career.

“In such a traditionally male dominated industry, it’s vital that mining companies support women’s bespoke requirements to ensure they thrive, particularly in underground environments,” Kristy said.

“Female participation is increasing across the sector, and workforce design requires a re-think to ensure businesses recognise and address these needs,” she said.

As an immediate outcome of the assessment, OceanaGold took a closer look at the role of a ‘nipper’ – an entry-level position that supports a jumbo operator. This is important because the career progression from here sees employees advance to a truck driver, service crew, bogger and then a jumbo operator.

Brigid said the role is quite physical in nature, requiring the person to move a range of equipment in support of the jumbo operator, and that could potentially discourage women to apply.

“We have introduced a ‘trainee mine operator’ role, which gives all applicants a 10-week opportunity to work as both a nipper and truck driver,” Brigid said.

“This is an opportunity to provide a thorough overview of underground mine operations and the career pathways each entry-level role offers, and importantly, to lighten the load of the very physical nipper role by adding trucking into the mix,” she said.

While the findings may have challenged traditional thinking, OceanaGold has embraced the recommendations – not just at the Waihi Operation, but globally – and will incrementally implement them in 2021.

Other workplace design changes will be incrementally implemented across the company as part of a strengthened global focus on workplace diversity and inclusion, including:

• PPE – ensuring a size-inclusive women’s range is readily available (not just offering a men’s range in smaller sizes, for example), offering a maternity range, and changes to harnesses to avoid pressure on the chest
• Facilities – increasing sanitary provisions in underground environments
• Flexible work provisions – assessing opportunities to accommodate different roster patterns
• Policy – introduction of the Fair Employment Policy.

“We hope these changes will help to entice a new generation of women from diverse backgrounds to choose OceanaGold as the destination to grow their career,” Brigid said.

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.

It has been nearly 200 years since gold was first discovered on the property of Captain Benjamin Haile in South Carolina. Today, OceanaGold’s modern day Haile Gold Mine carries on area’s long tradition of pouring gold using the very best state-of the-art and environmentally conscious technology and techniques.

OceanaGold celebrated the first gold pour at the modern Haile Gold Mine in 2017, starting a new chapter in the rich history of the region. Less than a year later, researchers with the prestigious Darla Moore School of Business at the University of South Carolina released a detailed analysis of the Mine’s socio-economic impact on the area, taking into account the anticipated life of the operation. The economic impact report concluded what local residents had been saying in recent years: the modern-day gold mine was breathing life back into an economically declining town.

Kershaw, South Carolina, has a population of around 2,400 and sits less than 6 miles from the processing operation at the mine. Although gold mining is part of the town’s history, its economic roots were in textiles. In the mid 1970’s, like in many other parts of the country, the textile industry began to close factories in the United States and move their operations overseas. Kershaw was not immune to the drastic economic shift, and the town’s residents soon found themselves out of work and forced to look elsewhere for jobs. The locally owned small businesses that once provided support to the community started to close, the houses and streets started to empty as families moved away, and the town itself seemed to grow quieter. For the following two decades, Kershaw would fight for its survival. Then in 2007, gold was rediscovered at Haile, and Kershaw was given a new chance at prosperity.

In 2021, with Haile Gold Mine at the heart of its economic renewal, Kershaw finds itself invigorated and looking brightly towards the future. With more than 800 people (including contractors) working at the 24-hour mining operation, families are moving back to the area, new businesses are opening up, and renewed hope for this small town has sprung forth.

The numbers back up this renewed sense of hope. According to the Economic Impact Analysis, the Haile Gold Mine generates US$87 million each year in positive economic impact to Lancaster County, where the mine is located. According to researchers, the US$87 million “figure reflects the dollar value representing all final goods and services produced in Lancaster County that can be attributed (either directly or indirectly) to the mine’s operations. This impact corresponds to 367 jobs and US$26 million in labor income that would not exist otherwise.”

“When expanding the analysis parameters to include the surrounding four-county region (Lancaster, Kershaw, York, and Richland counties), the economic impact of the Haile Gold Mine increases to $162 million annually – which is associated with 684 jobs and US$48 million in labor income.”

Widening that analysis to the state of South Carolina, researchers concluded the Haile operation generates US$191 million in positive economic impact each year.

That positive economic impact stems from significant investment in reopening the Haile Gold Mine. Since 2007, more than US$1 billion has been invested at Haile. In that same timeframe, the total payroll has topped US$200 million. That figure does not include the number of indirect jobs generated by the Haile Gold Mine which University of South Carolina researchers estimate is sizable.

According to the report, “Although the Great Recession that occurred from 2007 to 2009 caused massive employment losses in Lancaster and Kershaw counties, these counties also experienced zero positive employment gains during the five years leading up to 2007. By contrast, between 2009 and 2016, employment growth in both counties have consistently outpaced the statewide average. These major changes in employment patterns have been due in part to the economic activities associated with all exploration, permitting, and construction that has been taking place.”

The people holding these jobs are shopping at local stores, buying homes and revitalizing the area. That same influx of economic activity has continued during the past four years of commercial operation at Haile, including during the 2020 global pandemic. Now in 2021, the Haile team is looking ahead at the possibility of an expanded operation and additional investment.

OceanaGold has submitted an application to commence underground mining at Haile. If approved by federal and state regulators, underground mining would generate an additional 200 direct jobs on site and capital investment of US$110 million – further growing the Haile Gold Mine’s economic impact in the region and its significant place in history.

“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.

For 30 years, OceanaGold has contributed to excellence in the mining industry by delivering innovative solutions, sustainable environmental and social outcomes and strong returns.

In 1990, OceanaGold poured its first gold bar at the Macraes operation in the South Island of New Zealand. Thirty years on, as it celebrates its anniversary, the miner is about to commence the development of three new projects at the Macraes Operation.

President and CEO, Michael Holmes, said 2020 has been a year unlike any other and that even though OceanaGold was celebrating its 30th anniversary amidst challenging times, the team’s drive, industry expertise and experience navigating market cycles guided the company forward.

“We have a strong and sustainable future ahead of us. Our organic growth pipeline represents decades of opportunities for our company and is one of the best in the gold industry,” Michael said.

“I’m most proud of our people. Our company is built on the passion, resilience, progressive thinking and expertise each member of the OceanaGold team brings to our world class operations every day.”

 OceanaGold currently operates the Waihi and Macraes operations in the North and South Islands of New Zealand, the Haile Gold Mine in South Carolina, USA, and the Didipio Mine in The Philippines.

New Zealand

With an initial mine life of seven years, Macraes has since gone on to be the lifeblood of the company and today, stands as New Zealand’s largest active gold producing mine, having produced over five million ounces of gold since that first pour. With consents received, work is starting on the new Golden Point Underground and additional open pit expansions.

The modern Globe Progress Mine near Reefton on the West Coast in the South Island of New Zealand opened in 2006 and just over 610,000 ounces of gold was mined from the open pit operation between 2007 and 2016. Now known as the Reefton Restoration Project, the site is a leading practice mine closure and rehabilitation project. Central to the project is the re-establishment of vital ecosystems in the new post-mining landscape.

The Waihi region in New Zealand’s North Island has a long history of discovery, development and successful production. When OceanaGold acquired the Waihi Operation in 2015, the company committed to extending the life of the mine, which was delivered with the start of the Martha Underground development in 2019. In July 2020, OceanaGold released the Waihi District Study, a Preliminary Economic Assessment that identified significant and exciting opportunities to expand the existing operation at Waihi and the potential for a new underground mine at Wharekirauponga to the north.

The Philippines

In 2006, OceanaGold acquired the Didipio Copper-Gold Project in the Philippines and developed it into a world class gold-copper operation. Early construction commenced in 2010 and commercial open pit operations began in 2013. In 2015 the operation transitioned from open pit to underground.

Over the years, OceanaGold has built partnerships with the communities, government and businesses that hosted and helped run the operation. Since commencing operations in 2013, over US$890 million has been invested in procurement, wages, training and education, payments to government, community development and environmental partnerships.

OceanaGold President and CEO, Michael Holmes, said Didipio is an example of how to deliver responsible and profitable mining that genuinely cares about shared benefits for people and the environment.

“To date, the team has achieved one of the best safety records globally and demonstrate how mining can contribute to skills development, job creation and livelihood opportunities for local communities. We are committed to rehire hundreds of workers and restart operations once the operation’s Financial or Technical Assistance Agreement is renewed – we are ready and waiting for that opportunity,” Michael said.

USA

In 2015, OceanaGold acquired the Haile Gold Mine in South Carolina, USA, and continued its development. The first gold from the modern Haile Gold Mine was poured in January 2017 and commercial production commenced in October that year.

In September 2020, OceanaGold announced the updated Haile Technical Report which demonstrates long-term value and significant organic growth opportunity for the operation, including the expansion of open pit mining and a new underground opportunity.

 A bright future ahead

OceanaGold continually explores new opportunities at each of its operations, with a focus on delivering stakeholder value, sustainability and contributing to the communities it works and lives in.

Looking to the future, OceanaGold’s President and CEO, Michael Holmes, said their most promising growth projects were now coming online, and this means building three new underground mines, expanding three open pits and continuing to explore the greater Waihi district.

“We believe the delivery of these projects translates to real value for current and prospective shareholders over the long-term. OceanaGold is a resilient and dynamic gold miner with a strong and sustainable future. Our organic growth pipeline is one of the best in the industry, representing decades of opportunity for our company, and my team and I look forward to delivering that value,” Michael said.

“We’re mining gold for a better future. While this year has had its challenges, we look forward to delivering enduring value through innovation, performance and sustainable growth,” he said.

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.

Today marks a milestone. It’s 30 years since we poured our first gold bar at the Macraes Operation in New Zealand.

For 30 years, we contributed to excellence in our industry by delivering innovative solutions, sustainable environmental and social outcomes and strong returns.

Back in November 1990, the company was called Macraes Mining Company Ltd and the operation had a mine life of seven years. Macraes has since gone on to be the lifeblood of the company and today, stands as New Zealand’s largest active gold producing mine, having produced over five million ounces of gold since that first pour.

Over the last 30 days we have celebrated ‘Our Journey to 30’, taking a trip down memory lane to look back at our history and the stories that shaped our culture and make us the company we are today.

We’ve celebrated the backbone of our company – our people – and the opportunities that shaped us to be a modern, high-performing and responsible miner.

President and CEO, Michael Holmes, said 2020 has been a year unlike any other and that even though OceanaGold was celebrating our 30^th amidst challenging times, the team’s  drive, industry expertise and experience navigating market cycles guided the company forward.

“We have a strong and sustainable future ahead of us. Our organic growth pipeline represents decades of opportunities for our company and is one of the best in the gold industry,” Michael said.

“I’m most proud of our people. Our company is built on the passion, resilience, progressive thinking and expertise each member of the OceanaGold team brings to our world class operations every day,” he said.

Looking back

At our Waihi and Macraes Operations in New Zealand and at the Haile Gold Mine in the United States, mining spans centuries.

Our Haile Gold Mine is the oldest and longest-operating mine in North America – pre-dating the Californian gold rush by a generation. Gold was first discovered in the region in 1827, in a stream on the property of Captain Benjamin Haile. Mining started two years later and the mine was already 60 years old when the neighbouring town of Kershaw was established. Between 1829–1993 the Haile Mine produced over 360,000 ounces of gold. We poured the first gold from the modern Haile Gold Mine in January 2017 and the current life of mine extends to 2031+.

James Crombie, a local prospector, first discovered alluvial gold in Deepdell Creek in 1862, starting a gold rush in the Macraes region. The first ore body worked at Macraes Flat was the Duke of Edinburgh in 1875. The Golden Point mine opened in 1889 and was a significant and successful scheelite (tungsten) and gold producer. The Macraes Operation continues to have an extraordinary journey of efficiency and adaptation. The operation’s success stems from the high level of expertise and innovation of its employees – an integral aspect since its modern beginnings in 1990.

At Waihi, John McCombie and Robert Lee discovered gold on Pukewa, also known as Martha Hill, in 1878. Underground mining commenced a year later and by 1882 the first stamper battery was in operation. The original underground Martha Mine closed in 1952. For 70 years the mine employed a workforce averaging 600 people, extended to a depth of 600 metres, and produced 5.6 million ounces of gold and 38.4 million ounces of silver. We acquired the Waihi Operation in 2015 and current mine life extends to 2036+.

While some of our operations are much older than our company, we are proud of the history and legacy of each.

A modern mining era

After starting as Macraes Mining Company Ltd in 1990, we acquired the Reefton Goldfield in New Zealand in 1991. The modern Globe Progress Mine opened in 2006 and just over 610,000 ounces of gold was mined from the open pit operation between 2007 and 2016. Now known as the Reefton Restoration Project, the site is a leading-practice mine closure and rehabilitation project. Central to the project is the re-establishment of vital ecosystems in the new post-mining landscape.

OceanaGold Ltd. was established in 2003 and is listed under “OGC” on the Australian and Toronto Stock Exchanges. Throughout our history we have proudly advanced  knowledge in our field and delivered award-winning initiatives driven by a commitment to social, economic, operational, and environmental sustainability.

In 2006 we acquired the Didipio Copper-Gold Project in the Philippines and developed it into a truly world class gold-copper operation. Early construction commenced in 2010 and commercial open pit operations began in 2013. In 2015 the operation transitioned from open pit to underground and in 2018 we commissioned the first ever paste plant in the Philippines,  which meant underground workings could be safely backfilled after mining activities were completed.

In addition to technical innovation at Didipio, we built partnerships with the communities, government and businesses that hosted and helped us run the operation. Since commencing operations in 2013, we have invested over US$890 million in procurement, wages, training and education, payments to government, community development and environmental partnerships.

While restrictions on the operation have meant we’re not operating the Didipio Mine right now, it’s an excellent gold and copper producing asset, with an outstanding workforce and best practice standards.

OceanaGold President and CEO, Michael Holmes, said Didipio is an example of how to deliver responsible and profitable mining that genuinely cares about shared benefits for people and the environment in the Philippines.

“To date, the team has achieved one of the best safety records globally and represents how mining can contribute to skills development, job creation and livelihood opportunities for local communities. We are committed to rehire hundreds of workers and restart operations once the Financial or Technical Assistance Agreement (FTAA) is renewed – we are ready and waiting for that opportunity,” Michael said.

In 2015 we acquired the Haile Gold Mine and continued its development. We poured the first gold from the modern Haile Gold Mine in January 2017 and commercial production commenced in October that year. In September 2020, we announced the updated Haile Technical Report which demonstrates long-term value and significant organic growth opportunity for the operation, including the expansion of open pit mining and a new underground opportunity.

The Waihi region has a history of discovery, development and successful production. When we acquired the Waihi Operation in 2015, we committed to extending the life of the mine and we were pleased to deliver on that commitment with the commencement of the Martha underground mine development in 2019. In July 2020 we released the Waihi District Study, a Preliminary Economic Assessment that identified significant and exciting opportunities to expand the existing operation at Waihi and the potential for a new underground mine at Wharekirauponga to the north.

Built by great people

Over the last 30 days we have also celebrated the people who have contributed to our success along the way.

From our Chief Development Officer, Mark Cadzow, who joined us as a metallurgist at Macraes in 1990 and has grown with our company; to Oliver Donato, who started his career as one of our scholars in the Philippines and, in 2019, was awarded as the Outstanding Pollution Control Officer of the Pollution Control Association of the Philippines.

From Colin Purcell and Lorrance Torkler, who have both worked at our Waihi Operation for over 30 years and have a deep understanding of the mine’s operations and geology; to David Thomas, who has built a proud legacy and close community relationships at our Haile Gold Mine; and Ken Thomas who has contributed to our Macraes Operation for over 25 years after starting as one of the mine’s first operators.

These are just a few of the stories of the incredible people who work, and have worked, at OceanaGold and you’ll find many more stories on our people and careers blog.

 Looking ahead

We’re mining gold for a better future. While this year has had its challenges, we’re a resilient and dynamic gold miner, trusted to deliver enduring value through innovation, performance and sustainable growth.

Driven by our values, we continue to explore new opportunities at each of our operations, with a focus on sustainability and contributing to the communities we work and live in.

In New Zealand, we are delivering best practice mine rehabilitation at our Reefton Restoration Project. Following progressive rehabilitation of the site throughout the life of the mine, we are undertaking innovative planting, capping and water treatment projects and are also focused on supporting a sustainable future for the town of Reefton.

Further south at the Macraes Operation we’ve extended the mine life at the operation and see many additional opportunities ahead. Development of a new underground project, the Golden Point Underground, and extensions to Deepdell Open Pit and Frasers Open Pit – will extend the mine life at the operation to 2028.

When talking about the Macraes Operation, General Manager, Matthew Hine, said: “From an initial mine life of seven years, our desire to always keep improving has seen us become an operation, and company, that’s celebrated on the world stage. We know who we are, what we represent, how we want to treat each other and how we want to mine. With a commitment to always improve and a great leadership team, we have an exciting future ahead of us.”

In the North Island of New Zealand at the Waihi Operation, the Martha Underground is on track for first production in the second quarter of 2021. We’ve commenced consultation and engagement around the Project Quattro and Wharekirauponga opportunities and continue our exploration and resource conversion program.

When talking about the exciting opportunities ahead of us at the Waihi Operation, Acting General Manager, Daniel Calderwood said: “We’re in a very busy period of the mine’s life. The best is yet to come, here at Waihi, and for OceanaGold. The team here at Waihi are excited for the future and to see Waihi continue to prosper as we develop our projects here, and to the north at Wharekirauponga.”

Over the next two years we will employ an additional 200 people at the Haile Gold Mine in the United States as we continue to enhance the performance of this relatively young mine, expand our open pit operations and develop the Haile Underground Project in early to mid-2021.

When talking about what’s next at our Haile Gold Mine, Executive General Manager, Jim Whittaker said: “It never gets old, watching the sun rise over this mine. Every day it’s a reminder of the bright future and golden opportunity laying ahead, and below, for Haile Gold Mine. We’re building on a long legacy of gold mining in the south, and it’s an exciting time to be here.”

We’re proud to be celebrating 30 years of people and performance at OceanaGold and we look forward to the next 30 years. In 2021 we start a new chapter in the company’s life, as we deliver our exciting organic growth opportunities, under our responsible mining framework, and what it means to work the OceanaGold way.

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.”

Environmental and Restoration Technician Megan Williams is a woman on a mission.

She’s part of OceanaGold’s team at the Reefton Restoration Project – the site of the former Globe Progress Mine – collecting and reporting on thousands of water samples and huge amounts of monitoring data, day after day, year after year, to give back the rehabilitated land on completion of the Project.

“There’s no second chances when you’re closing a mine – you have to get it right. We owe it to the environment and to the community to restore this beautiful landscape to the best of our ability,” Megan said.

“I love working with people and a company that share these values and beliefs.”

And that’s what has kept Megan going since starting at OceanaGold in 2017. That, and the fact she is growing her skills every day by learning from experts in Reefton’s environmental team.

“Some parts of my job, such as surveying, would normally be outsourced to contractors, but at OceanaGold there’s a real desire to upskill in-house and build our capacity and knowledge for the broader industry.

“Being in the early part of my career, that’s an enormous opportunity for me.”

Megan refers to her role as the ‘eyes and ears’ on the ground at Reefton. She spends most of her time in the field keeping track of progress, sampling, completing monitoring tasks and providing data to the team and consultants.

Living locally and working on site over the past three years, there’s not one square inch of the Project’s 260-hectares she isn’t familiar with.

Her role involves tagging and measuring trees as part of the Project’s rehabilitation and replanting program. Given OceanaGold plans to plant approximately 1 million native species across the site, that is no mean feat.

In addition to replanting, reshaping is underway to ensure the natural environment is restored and visually integrated into the surrounding landscape.

Megan says: “The team on site has been working with consultants to design the Project’s proposed passive water treatment system, which was chosen through a research project that I was heavily involved in. We have also been busy developing an engineered treatment wetland system at Fossickers Lake (the former Tailings Storage Facility).”

“We have developed a low maintenance, passive system which treats onsite water using gravel as a filter and gravity flows – not chemicals – before being discharged into the river system.

“This has involved a significant investment by the company during trials and developing techniques for long-term solutions.

“That’s testament to OceanaGold’s commitment to restoration and closure. It’s so refreshing to work for an organisation that puts an enormous amount of trust into its operations’ experts.”

Apart from her day-to-day environmental role, Megan and the team directly engage with stakeholders by hosting events such as planting days with local schools, and site tours that provide an opportunity for the community to see first-hand the progress being made.

“Reefton is a small and closely-connected community. So many locals have either worked on the mine or have had relatives that did. Mining is a big part of the culture and history here.

“It’s part of my job to educate and inform the community about what the closure process involves, and it’s important to take them on the journey. When I take them on site tours, people are often so pleasantly surprised to see what the former mine looks like now.

“For example, Fossicker’s Lake attracts native bird life…you can see we’ve got a new ecosystem establishing and it’s incredibly rewarding to be a part of it.

“One day, when people come to the site, I hope they will be able to appreciate the rehabilitation work and enjoy the area as much as I do.

“More than anything, I hope people will look at Reefton and say it was a world-class example of mine closure. And that mining and the environment can co-exist when there’s investment in people and technologies to get it right from the outset.”

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.

Haile is the first gold mine in the United States to use Epiroc’s BenchREMOTE technology for remote control drilling with two of their three Epiroc drills. This technology provides many advantages for Haile’s workforce – no strangers to working in sometimes harsh South Carolina environmental conditions of extreme heat, wind, and rain.

The BenchREMOTE system enables operators to work from a safe distance in a comfortable environment, handling up to three rigs in parallel. This advanced technology allows the operator station to be placed up to 100 meters away and +/- 30 meters in elevation with a line of sight to communicate with the drills. Haile purchased two Epiroc D65 drills, BD7 and BD8, in 2019 that are compatible with this new technology.

The BenchREMOTE package includes the operator station only, so installation design is determined at the operator’s discretion allowing for a customizable end-product. Haile Drill and Blast General Supervisor, Aaron Kash, worked with ATC Trailers to design Haile’s housing, building the remote station into a fully insulated enclosed trailer.

“When we bought the equipment from Epiroc, I reached out to our local ATC trailer dealer and had them bring up the specs of a similar trailer,” Kash said.

“We made a few changes – making it a little longer, equipping it with a bigger A/C unit to withstand the heat, and upgraded the generator,” he said.

Safety is a primary concern any time people are present on a drill pattern with remotely operated drills. Communication, situational awareness, preparation, and warning systems are necessary for maintaining safe operation.

Perhaps the most significant benefit of the remote drills is the potential for increased productivity. Now one driller can operate up to three machines at a time, increasing utilization.

Another safety benefit is that the remote drill can access areas that may be unsuitable for people to access.

“With the development of the new Haile Pit, we are encountering historic workings. We may want to drill into an area with little cover to see what’s there, but we don’t want to risk putting somebody physically in the drill,” Kash explained.

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.