Notified Consents

This page contains information about the notification of resource consent applications and details of those currently open for submission and/or being dealt with.

What is a Notified Consent?

There are two types of notified resource consent applications:

Fully Notified – allows any person to lodge a submission in support and/or opposition, or to indicate a neutral position with respect to an application.

The public in general are notified if:

the activity will have or is likely to have adverse effects on the environment that are more than minor; or
the applicant requests it; or
a rule or national environmental standard requires public notification.

In addition, we may choose to publicly notify the application if:

regardless of any other matters, there are special circumstances (s95A(4))
a notification decision has not been made and a further information request is not responded to before the deadline concerned or the applicant refuses to provide the information requested (s95C).

The decision to notify an application will be made within 10 days of it being lodged with the Council.

We will place a public notice on this website and in the media. We also display a sign or signs on the site the applications related to, and send a copy of the application to affected parties.

Limited Notified – notice of the application is served on all persons who the Council considers to be affected by a proposal, allowing only those persons identified as affected to lodge a submission.

Note: Persons who have been identified as affected and have provided their written approval, do not need to be served notice, and cannot lodge a submission.

Waikaka Gold Mines Limited

land use consent to establish and operate a mineral extraction activity. It is proposed to mine gold-bearing wash from depths of 20m to 50m, using a dry, open-cut method, with a total mining area of approximately 85ha over 7-8 years. The operation will involve dewatering, on-site processing, overburden stockpiling, and undertaking comprehensive site rehabilitation. Ancillary activities include on-site workshops, storage, office and staff amenities.

Consent is further sought under the Resource Management (National Environmental Standard for Assessing and Managing Contaminants in Soil to Protect Human Health) Regulations 2011 for land disturbance and change of use.

This site is located at 972 Waikaka Road, Chatton North, Southland approximately 4km south-west of Waikaka township and 22km north of Gore.

Any person may make a submission on the application.

Any person may make a submission on the application, but a person who is a trade competitor of the applicant may do so only if that person is directly affected by an effect of the activity to which the application relates that –

adversely affects the environment; and
does not relate to trade competition or the effects of trade competition.

If you wish to make a submission on this application, you may do so by sending a written submission to the consent authority no later than: 19 June 2025

The submission must be dated, signed by you and must include the following information:

Your name and postal address and phone number/fax number.
Details of the application in respect of which you are making the submission including location.
Whether you support or oppose the application.
Your submission, with reasons.
The decision you wish the consent authority to make.
Whether you wish to be heard in support of your submission.

You may make a submission by sending a written or electronic submission to Council. The submission should be in the format of Form 13. This form is available to download below.

Click here to download Form 13

You must serve a copy of your submission to the applicant (Anita Collie - Town Planning Group NZ Limited, [email protected]) as soon as reasonably practicable after serving your submission to Council.

NOTE

The applicant has also applied to Environment Southland for separate resource consents related with this proposal. If you want to have your say on that application, a separate submission related to those activities must be made directly to Environment Southland. Further information is available from the Environment Southland website (www.es.govt.nz/notified-consents).

Submissions on all aspects of the application will be heard together as part of a joint hearing process involving Independent Commissioners.

Application Documents

Submissions

LU 24035 - Gore District Council Section 42a Report for Waikaka Gold Mine

This report has been prepared under Section 42A of the Resource Management Act 1991 (“the Act”) on behalf of Gore District Council. It provides an independent planning assessment of the application, including consideration of the relevant statutory documents, actual and potential effects on the environment, and submissions received.

Waikaka Gold Mines Limited (“the applicant”) has applied for resource consent to establish and operate an alluvial gold mining operation at 972 Waikaka Road, Chatton North, Southland. The application seeks consent from Gore District Council for mining and associated activities within the Rural Zone under the Operative Gore District Plan, and for indigenous vegetation clearance and land disturbance under the Proposed Gore District Plan. Consent is also sought under the National Environmental Standard for Assessing and Managing Contaminants in Soil to Protect Human Health (NES-CS).

Section 42a Report for Waikaka Gold Mine

You can find out further information on the Environment Southland website - Waikaka Gold Mines Limited (APP-20242608) - Environment Southland