Over the last year there has been several media announcements made about the possibilities of mining and the exploration of mining in Northland.

It has come to my attention that some of the Whangarei District Councillors, myself included, have not been informed of deals that have taken place.

Before I go too much further, I need to make it clear that a quarry is a form of mine as most quarries are there to get good rock from the ground to build with, therefore the correct use of our resources is important, so it last for all to enjoy.

Are our mineral resources getting too low?  Are we forced to mine so that we can create a community?  The investigation of Northland for minerals, I personally do not have a problem with, but there is a limitation, this doesn’t mean digging big holes to find minerals.

Northland is rich with community, environmental aspects, and natural landscapes, so it only makes sense that we would be rich with mineral deposits too.  But if we were to damage any of these things we would lose our Northland identity.

I want to hear from you; is exploring ok? Is mining ok?  As a community what do you want?  Mining in Northland.