Plan Change 6 decision - Extension of Martha Mine Mineral Zone

At its meeting on Thursday 27 March the Council made its decisions on Proposed Plan Change 6: Extension of Martha Mineral Zone.

Decisions and Amendments of Proposed Plan Change 6: Extension of Martha Mineral Zone,

What was the proposed Plan Change 6?

Proposed Plan Change 6 was a private plan change request by OceanaGold which sought to extend the Martha Mineral Zone around the Martha Pit so that resource consent applications could be made in the future to enable surface mining.

Hauraki District mayor, Toby Adams, said Council followed a rigorous process, considering technical evidence, community submissions, and the independent Hearing Panel’s recommendations.

“We appreciate the Panel’s thorough assessment and thank all involved for their contributions. This decision reflects both expert analysis and community interests”, he said.

Rezoning Sought

OceanaGold had sought to rezone 47 properties, all owned by OceanaGold, from Residential, Low Density Residential or Town Centre Zone to Martha Mineral Zone.

The application was publicly notified in February 2024 with further submissions closing in May 2024. In total 78 submissions and 3 further submissions were received.

The Council appointed 4 commissioners to consider, hear and make recommendations to the Council on the matters raised in submissions and further submissions, and on the plan change itself.

A public hearing was held on 10 and 11 December 2024 and was reconvened on 11 February 2025. At the hearing the Panel considered the application, all submissions and further submissions, and the evidence presented at the hearing.

The Hearing Panel's Recommendations

The decision recommended by the Hearing Panel, and subsequently adopted by the Council, was that the area to be rezoned to Martha Mineral Zone should be less than what was applied for – 26 properties to be rezoned instead of the 47 applied for by OceanaGold.

The Panel found that “… in parts, the proximity of the area sought to be rezoned to the commercial part of town and/or to residential or community activities means those parts are not suited to mining related activity that the rezoning would provide for.”

Subsequently the Panel recommended “… the extent of the area to be rezoned be reduced by removing the Town Centre zoned properties and removing the Residential zoned land at the western edge of the Plan Change area …”, which is the decision adopted by the Council.

Appeal period closes on 16 May 2025

The Council decision is able to be appealed by the applicant and the submitters and the appeal period closes on 16 May 2025.

Read full decision online Decisions and Amendments of Proposed Plan Change 6: Extension of Martha Mineral Zone, or view at any Hauraki District Council office or library.

Update on Waihī North project

In other mining related matters, on 7 March 2025 OceanaGold applied to the Environmental Protection Authority seeking the necessary approvals for its Waihi North Project.

Council is still waiting to hear if the Waihi North Project has been determined to be ‘complete’ by the EPA.

If the application is determined to be complete, a Panel to consider and assess the Project would be appointed and the Council would have the opportunity to comment on the application, within 20 working days.