The proposed Hawkeswood Mining development at Millers Flat is gaining support with the owners hoping for an October start date.

Owner Simon Johnstone said they were just in the process of submitting their right of reply to the commissioners, following the recent hearing.

A revised set of draft conditions for the Central Otago District Council (CODC) consent and for the four Otago Regional Council (ORC) consents have been worked through.

Simon said they have taken into consideration concerns from submitters and iwi has looked over everything as well, “and everyone’s on the same page.”

“The ball will be back in the commissioners’ court and we’ll await their decision, but it was looking positive,” he said.

The CODC and ORC have updated their Section 42a report to now recommend consent be granted and iwi no longer opposed the application and were neutral.

Simon said the company had spent close to $3 million on the consent application so far, and with respect to the conditions, he said, “it’s as good as you’re going to get.”

Hawkeswood Mining Ltd expects to create up to 30 jobs and inject an estimated $5 million to $7 million annually into the local community with its gold mine on the banks of the Clutha Mata-Au River.

The project received more than 470 submissions, the majority of which were in support.

The hearing was told the company aimed to return the land to pastoral use after it had finished, and rehabilitation work would be ongoing throughout the 10-year project.

Hawkeswood Mining first applied for a discretionary consent in 2022 for a two-hectare mine over a period of five years.

This was, by request of the applicant, publicly notified by the ORC and CODC in 2023.

Hawkeswood Mining then paused the application to make amendments, extending the proposed mine to cover about 10 hectares for a period of 10 years.

The councils determined a new application needed to be made due to the significant increase in the intensity and scale of the activity.

Hawkeswood Mining is seeking consent to use the land as well as to take water, and discharge water to land only, with no risk of contaminants being discharged to water.