The bluffs have the best limestone karst features in Southland

Tag : limestone
Ravensdown, which has rights to the minerals in the area, met witha Dipton community group in November to discuss its mining proposaland agreed to undertake a review of mining the bluffs.
Dipton Land Care Group spokesman Stephen Clearwater said Ravensdownled the community to believe the company would stop mining thebluffss' top while it waited for the review to come out next month.
At the meeting, the company had also agreed to perform one lastblast on the cap for safety reasons, he said. However, the blastwas much larger than the community expected and the company wasstill removing the limestone, he said.
Mr Clearwater said he doubted the company's intentions.
"It's given us a date to keep us quiet while they carry onwith business.
"Ravensdown aren't listening to the community."Ravensdown lime and spreading general manager Shane Harold wouldnot confirm the size of the blast but said it was for health andsafety reasons.
The company was still on top of the bluff to quarry the materialthat was blasted and that had taken longer than expected, he said.
The company had been clear with the community about its intentions,he said.
"From my point of view, we haven't broken the agreement."The company was open to discussing the bluffs' future with thecommunity and hoped to have an agreement in place by Christmas, hesaid.
There were no formal procedures in place for consulting thecommunity, he said, but company representatives plan to meet withconcerned residents after a review of the quarry is completed nextmonth.
Under the company's proposed plan to remove the bluffs' cap, itwill be leaving about $46 million of limestone behind to protectthe cliffs.
Southland District Winton ward councillor Lyall Bailey said hehoped Ravensdown and the community could come to an amicableagreement.
"It's an amazing feature. I'd like to see it stay in itspresent form.
"It's going to require goodwill on behalf of Ravensdown, andthat's what we're looking for."
What's going on?
- The limestone bluffs are on the Dipton-Mossburn highway about14km north-west of Dipton.
- The Geological Society of New Zealand say the bluffs have thebest limestone karst features in Southland and are vulnerable todamage, particularly from quarrying.
- Ravensdown is mining the top of the bluffs and has proposed toremove a significant portion of the height during the next 60years.