Mercury is a big part of people's concern. The element is often found attached to gold and the area is rich in mercury-bearing stone. Mercury was mined off and on until 1945 though, according to a Department of Conservation report, never overly successfully.
Workers suffered inflamed gums and loose teeth and the report says inhaling mercury vapour can have "very nasty consequences, such as lung damage, tremors, nausea, emotional upheaval, kidney damage and even death".
Locals fear mining such as underground mining involving blasting and tunnelling could leave tailings (the waste product of mining) contaminating the waterways, possibly affecting the health of people and entering the food chain via the dairy cows that munch on the pasture below in the unique flood-prone environment known as the Hikurangi Swamp.
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