News
Mining Black Pearl
Australian company Plaman Global is progressing with plans to resurrect diatomite quarrying operations in the South Island, with the potential to earn billions of export dollars over the next three decades. NEIL RITCHIE explains. A versatile mineral Diatomite is the naturally occurring fossilised microscopic remains of water-borne, single-cell...
Pike re-entry options get green light
Creating a new small tunnel into the Pike River Mine drift is one of three re-entry scenarios that are considered by technical experts in Greymouth. By Peter Owens. The Pike River Recovery Agency was set up by the Government earlier this year to plan a manned re-entry and recovery into the Pike River Mine drift access tunnel. The agency is a...
Saddle Hill fracas draws to an end
The long-running Saddle Hill dispute near Dunedin may finally be coming to a conclusion. The Dunedin City Council’s resource consents manager, Alan Worthington, has confirmed that the quarry on the hill, owned by Saddle View Estates, may continue to operate under existing use rights, provided the present boundaries of the operation are not...
Certificate of Competence changes for quarries
New competency requirements for safety-critical roles in mining and quarrying came into force this month. The key amendments are: Detail the requirements for a Certificate of Competence (CoC) as a manager to manage the quarrying operation specified (site specific CoC); define ‘workings’ of relevant types of mine, tunnel or quarry; and specify...
Kiwi quarry gardens lead the way
An old Whangarei quarry site turned into a ‘quarry garden’ has been promoted as a ‘template’ for converting a disused Aussie site into botanical gardens. THE TOOWOOMBA REGIONAL COUNCIL in Queensland, in conjunction with the incorporated Friends of the Quarry Gardens, is conducting a $250,000 Queensland Government-funded feasibility study...
