The Martha Mine in Waihi, New Zealand, is an operating gold and silver mine. The open pit lies within a residential area, while the Processing Plant, Water Treatment Plant and tailings storage facilities are nearly two kilometres away, beyond the town boundary, in a rural area.

The Martha Mine's open pit is unique in New Zealand in that it is situated in a residential area. Restraints and conditions have been placed on the operation that take into account the mine's proximity to the town of Waihi. These conditions include hours of work, permitted blasting times and permitted noise, dust and vibration levels.

The regulatory authorities are Environment Waikato (Waikato Regional Council) and the Hauraki District Council. Their role is to ensure that the environmental conditions laid down in the Mining Licence, Water Rights and Resource Management Consents are being met. A further independent check is provided by the Peer Review Panels. These are independent bodies of experts who review the technical standards of particular aspects of the operation. They report to Environment Waikato and Hauraki District Council.

Many other conditions also apply to the operation.

An extensive environmental monitoring network exists for the site, as illustrated below.

With so many environmental aspects to be considered, the Company has developed an Environmental Management System (EMS). The Environmental Management System is designed to ensure that all environmental considerations, including management, monitoring, maintenance, training and action plans are incorporated within an overall framework as an integral part of mining operations.

This section of the web site presently contains information on noise, dust, vibration, permitting, water management and the New Zealand dotterel. These sections provide background information on the various issues, as opposed to environmental performance. Environmental performance can be found in the annual Now and Beyond Reports.

Environmental management (in relation to both environmental performance and management systems) is assessed on an annual basis by an independent auditor. This allows areas of strength and weakness to be identified based on a five star assessment process, and action plans to be put into place to ensure that improvements are carried out where necessary. The results of the independent assessments are detailed in the Now and Beyond Reports.