The Golden Legacy and Waihi Community Consultative Committee
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The Golden Legacy Centre is the ‘shop window’ for Newmont Waihi Gold and the Golden Legacy Project.
The Golden Legacy Project was originally designed to engage the community in closure concepts for Martha Mine to ensure that community ideas were considered during the formulation and implementation of closure and rehabilitation plans. The ultimate aim is to develop facilities that will in the long-term become community owned. The project is Newmont Waihi Gold’s strategy for the final stage of the modern mining process — to return rehabilitated and enhanced facilities to the community.
The Golden Legacy Centre is the public information conduit for the company’s programmes and the ‘shop window’ for Newmont Waihi Gold.
Since inception both the Golden Legacy Project and the Golden Legacy Centre have expanded to adopt new roles for the company and the community.
History
The Golden Legacy Centre was officially opened on August 1 2003 in a ceremony attended by local people, His Worship the (then) Mayor of Hauraki District Mr Basil Morrison, local iwi and kaumatua (elders), and past and present staff at Martha Mine. Following a blessing and karakia (prayers) by kaumatua Eddie Bluegum, the facility was opened with a ribbon cutting ceremony. This was performed by long serving staff member, senior geologist Don MacKay and Niheta Tukaki, who had worked in the original underground Martha Mine.
The company has been involved in presenting itself to the community in similar ways in the past. Previous “shop front” experience was provided by Martha 2000, an appropriate model for the Golden Legacy Centre. Martha 2000 operated from May 1995 to November 1999 as an information centre set up in the main street of Waihi to provide information to the public about the then-proposed Martha Mine Extended Project. This facility was staffed and funded by Waihi Gold and attracted almost 26,000 visitors throughout its duration.
The Purpose of the Golden Legacy Centre
The Golden Legacy Centre is designed to:
This is achieved by providing:
Martha Mine closure and subsequent final rehabilitation was always going to involve the community. Turning the open pit into a lake, providing public access and amenities to a variety of areas and implementing the Martha Trust were all actions that would require public consultation and consideration. While this had always been recognised by the company in the long term planning, no specific action plan had been designed. The Waihi Community Consultative Committee (WCCC) has taken Golden Legacy concepts through a rigorous process involving a range of community groups and has produced “A 20/20 Vision for the Future of Waihi”. This is an effective strategy of wider community engagement and the Golden Legacy Centre is able to showcase the inspiring proposals for Waihi’s future that have been developed through the WCCC.
To fulfil part of the consultation requirements for the proposed Favona Underground Project and the exploration work associated with this planning, the Golden Legacy Centre has been effectively used for disseminating information to the public. Technical, environmental and economic reports on a range of initial investigations for Favona were available and displays were set up to explain a variety of topics such as proposed mining methods, exploration and operational considerations. It was important that this information was easily accessible, easily understood and delivered in a factual and concise manner. The facility is now also used to provide the latest information on Newmont Waihi Gold’s enhanced exploration programme, announced in April 2004 by Newmont President Pierre Lassonde.
Another use for the Golden Legacy Centre – because it is situated adjacent to the western viewing platform - is to make accurate current information available to the captive audience that visits the public viewing platform in a continuous stream. In this way, visitors who wish to find out more about the Martha Mine are able to satisfy their curiosity or further spark their interest. They can watch a video, look at the displays and discuss the mine’s history, its present operation and future plans with Golden Legacy Centre staff.
The Facilities
The Centre has a total floor area of approximately 300 square metres on two levels. Upstairs there are two offices, a kitchen and staff facilities and two large rooms that are divided by a movable partition.
One room features poster and information displays, models, and a closed circuit television system that shows activity in the open pit in real time. This area provides a space for people to find out about what is happening at Martha and Favona and what is planned in the future. It is open, inviting, informal and friendly.
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The second room is set up as a small theatre/lecture room. It features a large screen television linked to a surround sound system, DVD and video, and a data projector and laptop for presentations. The DVD and video are linked to the data projector, providing a choice of presentation formats. The lights are controlled by dimmers. Both rooms are air conditioned.
The partition slides back to create a larger space for meetings and larger presentations and gatherings. Examples of these include contractors and suppliers meetings that are held on a regular basis, local Business After Five meetings, Go Waihi tourism and town promotion meetings.
Folding trestle tables are used to set the room up conference-style. Upholstered stacker chairs set out theatre-style allow the enlarged room to cater for up to 50 visitors.
The Newmont Waihi Gold Martha Mine Education Centre is in the second part of the building. This facility can be used in conjunction with the Golden Legacy Centre.
A covered verandah provides access to the facilities and the public toilets.
A seminar/breakout room has been incorporated into the downstairs level of the Golden Legacy Centre. This caters for courses, training sessions and meetings for around 15 - 20 people and has a separate entry and its own kitchen and toilet facilities. There is also an office and storage space.
Staff and Resources
The Centre is staffed by a full time Golden Legacy Manager. The Community Liaison Officer, also full time, has an office in the facility and assists where necessary. Two full time staff members from the Education Centre are also available when required.
The Golden Legacy Centre is totally funded by Newmont Waihi Gold.
Operating Hours
The Centre is open weekdays from 9.00am to 5.00pm and during the summer months is also open at weekends.
Visitors
Over 10,000 people visited the Golden Legacy Centre in its first twelve months. Notable amongst these visitors are Newmont Mining Corporation President Pierre Lassonde, Prime Minister Helen Clark and US Ambassador to New Zealand, Mr Charles Swindells. Various local, regional and national politicians, including several Ministers of the Crown have also visited.
Strategy Integration
The Golden Legacy Centre is one part of a broader strategy headed by the External Affairs Department. The Education Centre, the Waihi Community Consultative Committee, and information provided in the fortnightly Update complement each other. Brief detail of these strategies can be found in the appendix.
Appendix
Golden Legacy Centre - complementary strategies
Newmont Waihi Gold Education Centre - Martha Mine received the 2003 Newmont Australia Excellence Award, Best Community Relations Initiative for its Education Centre. The Centre is a purpose-built classroom space from which curriculum-linked education programmes are provided to more than 150 school groups, totalling over 5,000 students, per year. It raises awareness of environmental aspects of the mining industry in New Zealand among students and teachers. Judges felt this initiative was “a highly successful and innovative way to engage with and educate the local and broader community.”
Waihi Community Consultative Committee - In May 2003 Newmont Waihi Gold joined with Hauraki District Council and members of the Waihi community in the initiation and running of the Waihi Community Consultative Committee (WCCC). This is a significant initiative, very much owned by the community and funded by the Company. The group was set up with the objective of improving communication, providing an effective forum for discussion and ultimately working through a range of issues relating to the future of the town and district after the projected closure of Martha Mine in 2006.
In June 2004 the WCCC presented its recommendations – Waihi’s 2020 Vision – to Hauraki District Council and Newmont Waihi Gold. The presentation was enthusiastically received by council, which voted unanimously to investigate ways of promoting the project. Their first step will be to consider which of the recommendations can be incorporated into the District Plan for 2005 and beyond. The company is currently looking at ways in which it can participate appropriately in the project and has made some commitments to the 2020 Vision already.
For further information about WCCC and Waihi’s 2020 Vision please click here.
Update - The Update is a fortnightly full-page newsletter published in the local newspaper, the Waihi Leader. Updates report what is happening on site, detail upcoming activity and provide a reliable conduit of information. Recent issues have backgrounded and explained tailings dam construction, exploration activity and preliminary construction of the pit rim walkway. Issues often feature staff profiles. Reports of the WCCC’s progress have featured on a regular basis. It is not all ‘hard’ news. Billy Connolly’s ‘flying visit’ to Martha in March 2004, for instance, was reported in the Update. Copies are distributed to staff and contractors the day before publication in the newspaper and also posted on the Martha Mine website.
