A no-public-access sign erected on a farm gate has reignited tensions in the hills above Tarras, with locals claiming a mining company is blocking a public right of way that has long been used. 

Community group Sustainable Tarras says Santana Minerals is effectively restricting public access to the Shepherds Creek paper road, an unformed legal road owned by Central Otago District Council (CODC). 

“Public access…has never been an issue until Santana erected ‘no public access – trespassers will be prosecuted’ signs,” group spokesperson Rob van der Mark said. 

“Meanwhile they have graded and modified this road and are causing significant environmental damage to it and its immediate surrounds.  

“They are delaying the removal of the signs and issuing threatening letters, instead of simply restoring the public access that we have always had.” 

Santana rejects the accusation, saying the paper road, which begins and ends on Thomsons Gorge Road, remains fully accessible. 

“The confusion arises because there are several overlapping features,” Santana said in a written statement to The Central App. 

“A paper road (shown blue on maps) owned by CODC, which appears as an open paddock and is not easily identifiable on the ground; a dirt farm track (red) that Santana uses under its access agreement; and private land on both sides of the paper road (text boxes), owned by two separate landholders.” 

Santana Minerals says it is not stopping people from using an historic access route. Image: Santana Minerals

The company confirmed it had placed a sign on a private landowner’s gate in Shepherds Valley, but said it was not intended to stop people using the legal road. 

“We have put a sign on a private landowner's gate...to discourage people onto private property for their health and safety while drill exploration is ongoing,” Santana said. 

CODC has also stepped in, saying it had been made aware of the new signage. 

“Council was made aware of trespass signs that had been erected on a private access track off Thomsons Gorge Road, which leads to a parcel of unformed legal road in the Shepherds Creek catchment,” CODC’s Paul Fleet said. 

“These signs are located on private land and not on the legal road access. The legal access to the parcel remains further up Thomsons Gorge Road.” 

Paul said council works with landowners whenever public access to unformed legal roads might be affected.  

In this case, the presence of heavy machinery for track construction and exploratory drilling meant discussions were under way with Santana on how to balance access with safety. 

“Options being considered include installing a gate at the legal intersection of the unformed road and Thomsons Gorge Road to help formalise and clarify access,” he said. 

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