Foulden Maar

Foulden Maar is on privately owned land. The area was initially developed for mining by Featherston Resources Ltd in 1997.[24] The deposit was estimated as 5 million tonnes (Mt) by NZ Petroleum and Minerals.[25] This proved uneconomic for the company, and its assets were sold to Plaman Resources Ltd in March 2015.[24]

Plaman Resources claim the size of the deposit is 31 Mt.[26] The shareholders for Plaman Resources, are Iris Corporation, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (50.95 per cent) and Burleigh Nominees Ltd, Douglas, Isle of Man (49.05 per cent).[27] Plaman Resources' shareholders, the Iris Corporation and Burleigh Nominees, have allegedly been involved in corruption and humans-rights abuses and have unpaid debts.[28] It is unclear if Iris Corporation would remain a shareholder of Plaman if Overseas Investment Office (OIO) approval for the mine is received.[29]

Galaxias effusus from Foulden Maar is the oldest known species of Galaxias, the group to which whitebait belong.

Plaman hold the mining rights and plan to turn all of the fossil-containing diatomite into an additive for incorporating into the food of intensively farmed animals such as ducks and pigs.[30] Initial seed funding of about US$20 million (NZ$28 million) was raised through Goldman Sachs New Zealand Holdings, the Auckland branch of New York stock-exchange listed investment bank in August 2018.[31] The financial viability of these plans is reported to hinge on the purchase of an adjoining farm, which the OIO must rule on.[9][32] No timetable has been set for the decision.[33] The proposal would involve building a new $36.8m processing plant at Milton to crush the diatomite before shipping offshore from Port Chalmers or Bluff. It is estimated by the company that the trucking and processing would create 100 jobs over 27 years.[30] Plaman has discussed with local councils applying to New Zealand's Provincial Growth Fund for help with the costs of building the processing plant, although no application has been made.[34]

Previous mining at the site yielded low-quality diatomite only suitable for inclusion in concrete, rather than the high-quality product Plaman is marketing as "Black Pearl".[32] Plaman claims that livestock will benefit nutritionally from Black Pearl, because the diatomite is "rich in natural organic matter (which contains humics, such as humic and fulvic acid) and other valuable nutrients, which have been shown to be beneficial in animal nutrition."[35] Animal nutrition experts expressed doubt that the product produced by Plaman will have any animal-health benefits, as there is no published data to support their claims.[36] Concerns have also been expressed by the New Zealand Green Party that the diatomite would be sold as fertiliser to support the production of palm oil.[24]

Plaman Resources have offered to refrain from mining nearby Hindon Maar if opposition to the Foulden Maar proposal is dropped. They have also offered to set aside 5 hectares (12 acres) (12–20% of the deposit) of the eastern pit at Foulden Maar for scientific research,[37] but geologists say that if the deposit is drained for mining the fossils may be lost regardless.[38]

The company was placed in receivership and voluntary liquidation in June 2019, and the OIO approval process placed on hold.[39][40] The Save Foulden Maar group is considering crowdfunding to permanently protect the site.[41]

Some locals are opposed to the anticipated levels of dust, noise, and general disruption the proposed mine would create.[32] The Otago Regional Council has granted Plaman Resources resource consent to discharge air dust for the purpose of quarrying diatomite until 1 July 2020.[42] The original mining permit was for 20 years but has since been extended to November 2033.[43] A wider group of people concerned about the loss of the unique fossil record described as "Dunedin's Pompeii" and an "irreplaceable treasure box"[32][44] have launched a petition to preserve the site, garnering nearly 10,000 signatures in the first month.[28][45][46] A leaked report by Goldman Sachs details the engagement of former Labour MP Clayton Cosgrove as a lobbyist to "secure approval" for the mine.[32]

Some locals would like to see the area turned into a geo-park, along similar lines to other diatomite sites in Norway, Germany, and China.[44][47] Former Prime Minister Helen Clark suggested that the site could be protected as a scientific reserve under the Reserves Act 1977,[48] saying "It just doesn't stack up. It's a question of values. Do we value knowledge? Do we value natural heritage? Do we value science and research, or do we just want to a quick dollar from a low value pit? I mean, really, it's distressing."[28][49][50] MP Clare Curran voiced support for the mining proposal, saying that she had been given assurances by Plaman.[50] She argued that "misinformation" was abundant due to the slow overseas-investment-approval process and said that the resource-consent process would still need to be followed.[50] Dunedin Mayor Dave Cull, who wrote a letter of support for the mining proposal, has publicly called for clarification from Plaman after hearing details of the leaked Goldman Sachs report.[51] Clutha Mayor Bryce Cadogan, who also supports the proposal, expressed frustration that commercial sensitivity prevented the release of all the information in favour of the mine.[51] Dunedin City Council councillor Aaron Hawkins proposed that the council should "recognise the importance of Foulden Maar, and support its preservation, and protection as a scientific resource", and the council voted to do so, later formally opposing the mining proposal.[52][53] The University of Otago is also formally opposed to the mining proposal.[54] Sir Alan Mark, chair of the environmental group the Wise Response Society, called for the government to purchase the site and establish a geological reserve.[55]

Juliet Gerrard, the Prime Minister's Chief Science Adviser, has said that "the tale is far from simple and at least two weak spots at the interface of science and policy are exposed as we dig through the complexities: there is no obvious point in central government to consider the value of a fossil record; and the science community has perhaps not previously sufficiently communicated the national and international value of this geological site."[56] The Geoscience Society of New Zealand has called for the mining proposal to be stopped, with President Jennifer Eccles saying, "New Zealand’s national identity is strongly bound to its unique plants and animals. We cannot stand by and see this fountain of paleontological knowledge about where we have come from destroyed; particularly not for so little transient local and national gain."[10][57]