Standover tactics exposed by $180m pound of flesh for a gold mine

“An iwi group’s alleged demand for $180 million in order to approve the Bendigo Santana gold mine exposes how New Zealand’s resource management system has been warped by standover tactics and backroom dealing,” says ACT Resources spokesman Simon Court.

Kā Rūnaka say extracting $180 million from Santana has not been their ‘focus’, but they haven’t directly denied the report.

“It’s an outrage, but not one that surprises ACT,” says Mr Court. “Up and down the country, from minor subdivisions to major infrastructure, people are encountering standover tactics and sending me the receipts.

“In some cases, councils have effectively given iwi veto power through how they interpret the law. That creates a system where resource consent depends not on environmental effects, but on the applicant’s willingness to grease someone else’s palms.

“The fact a previous seven-figure payout for a hydro project was cited by Kā Rūnaka as a benchmark tells you everything. This is how rent-seeking becomes embedded.

“These costs get passed on in higher power bills, more expensive housing, pricier infrastructure, and in many cases, projects that just don’t go ahead.

“We should have a system where the question is simple: does the project meet environmental standards or not?

“What we have instead is a culture where people expect a pound of flesh for every sod turned. It’s opportunistic graft enabled by a broken law.

“ACT is replacing the Resource Management Act because we believe in clear rules, property rights, and a system where decisions are made on evidence – not ancestry.”