A quarry which will supply rock for critical infrastructure projects in South Westland has been approved under the Crown Minerals Act 1991.
The approved quarry granted to Kokiri Lime Company Limited is a one-hectare site located south of Fox Glacier in the Te Wāhipounamu – South New Zealand World Heritage Area (WHA) on stewardship land and is a continuation of an historic quarry in the area. Kokiri Lime Company Limited originally applied for a 15 hectare site.
Acting Department of Conservation (DOC) Director General Stephanie Rowe, says the decision to grant was finely balanced given the quarry's location on the edge of the World Heritage Area.
"The quarry is of strategic importance to the West Coast, with major infrastructure projects benefitting both economically and environmentally from locally sourced rock. It will supply rock for local flood protection and roading projects.
"I'm confident that the quarry will not compromise the outstanding natural heritage of this area or the integrity of the World Heritage Area as a whole. The quarry approved for operation is small, at a size of one ha, relative to the 2.6 million ha WHA. Factors in the decision are its location on the very edge of the WHA, its proximity to a previously modified site with regenerating vegetation, and the consideration of specific values at the site."
"The approval requires the operator to take measures to mitigate the landscape effects of the quarry and protect local wildlife," says Stephanie Rowe.
Background information
Te Wāhipounamu World Heritage Area was established in 1990. It is made up of 2.6 million hectares (almost 10% of New Zealand's total land area), and 70% of the WHA is located within Aoraki/Mount Cook, Fiordland, Mount Aspiring and Westland Tai Poutini National Parks, with the remainder made up of conservation land of other statuses.
