Hello to all in the Paydirt community.
I’m a journalist researching a long-form piece on individuals and gold in NZ - who’s mining it, who’s buying it, and all the big “why” and “how” questions around that. Don’t worry, I’m not from the NZME/Bauer crowd.
I’ve been reading through the forums here and it looks like there’s more to the story than I initially thought. Is there anyone who would be keen to have a chat with me and broadly run me through what’s happening in the gold community in NZ?
Flick me a message if so. Thanks in advance!
For starters the media/a journalist should do an article about how the right to pan/cradle/sluice gold on a recreational basis has been taken from the us. 99 percent of the population do not realize that from the first discovery of gold in New Zealand right up until the 1970s you could pay a token gesture, five shillings/fifty cents and obtain a Miners Right.
This meant that you could fossick for gold using a pan, cradle or sluice box and shovel within the bounds of those rivers with a marginal strip.
The all of a sudden the government took that right away on pretexts and put in their place virtually uselelss Public Fossicking areas. This effectively means that many people with gold holding streams in their own back yard have to travel 100ks to find less colours than they could find locally.
It means that you are breaking the law if you stop for a family picnic beside a stream and take your pan out to have an enjoyable afternoon panning.
Recreational panning has NO negative affect and any claims that it has is an excuse. Even the most minor of floods will do far more damage.
The Government will claim that we could never reintroduce the Miners Right as there would be a gold rush. This is total stupidity and nonsense - when gold suddenly increased in value from 1980 onward there was no rush - nothing changed - nothing at all.
Strangely enough the sudden increase in Gold values heralded the end of the MIners Right.
That was the first big attack on New Zealanders and their rights - the new attack is the new arms legislation which is designed to take ALL guns from our hands.
There you go - your a journalist - two controversial topics for you to become a leader in journalism…you can sure interview me!
11 Likes
Thanks Lammerlaw! Would be interested in interviewing you. I’ll send you a message now.
If you are going to interview anyone on here, Mr Lammerlaw is without peer.
5 Likes
That will cost…Costa Rico here I come!
1 Like
Is there gold in Costa Rico?
Lammerlaw is your best bet, but NZPAM itself, without endangering any public spaces or identities, can also fill you in on the toll (time and $ spent) the gaps in the current legislation form.
As far as I am aware Gold transactions are real name, but I understand that there is/has been a black market…On the hunt for illegal miners as a new gold rush hits New Zealand | New Zealand | The Guardian Frankly didn’t occur to me, would not know how to access it, but given AML limits, especially the new ones, it is probably still important for netting some, just don’t see why NZPAM and innocent others need to suffer.
The first 3 feet of land anyone can dig on it but once you go over that it belongs to the crown that’s law
@leslie1 Apparently not.
This case seems to determine that the property owner was entitled to compensation for a NZ Navy service tunnel, and that would be a tad deeper than three feet under the lawn.
There’s a MOD tunnel under my property…
Apologies for thread dilution. We now return you to your scheduled programming
2 Likes
Well was only talking about minerals not what govt puts in first 3 feet help yourself no difference even for metal detectors digging all over the place funny anyway I don’t care i just take samples
Mangrove, don’t be so modest, we all know that you are the behind the scenes guy.
Unfortunately GoldenEel, by helping out some people it seems to piss off others irrespective of whether you get paid in any capacity or not.
I have always told miners I don’t expect any payment for free consultant work (and I havnt from any except one good bugger gave me some greenstone once), but if/when I work for a RMA consultancy, then I want them to come to me and be a client of mine. At the end of this year, I will be a RMA consultant who understands mining and is pro-mining and hope that good-will of free work pays off for my family for a change.
4 Likes
Proof please. You might find that ‘Dont care’ was ‘Made to care’
In any case would you be so kind as to present to us definitive facts and legislation that allows you to dig down three feet and take gold within that bounds of that depth without a claim.
Done it all my life matey same as your section you own only 3 feet down rest is the crown so even if you take a sample still not yours (crown owns it) but as a new zealander there not going to hassle you over one rock take many and you have a problem
I’m with Lammerlaw on this. And as far as introducing recreational rules is concerned, down to 3 feet (from where? sea level?) would not ever be able to be proven and labour intensive for dealers and enforcement (who always has a camera?) so I think that one’s out as a suggestion.
I think a lot of people are cautious when it comes to the media & if they are not should be , there’s been some good examples lately , a lot of blokes on here with claims get dragged across the coals setting them up & all the fee,s & conditions that go with it , I would think talking to the media could swing either way …maybe you could do a peace on all the ill informed tree hugging soy latte swirling greens that think gold fossicking , dredging , panning , metal detecting is some crime against the environment …if you have done the research presumably you no its not , whats your opinion on that ?
1 Like
I think “curiousgold” should be talking to Gavin also. After all he is the moderator and set up this forum.
He usually has a balanced view across the hobby/profession.
5 Likes
Ah but I am not after gold that’s the difference in study rocks veins etc find them then move on as I gave up mining years ago now just Potter little pan find different minerals look at everything though a lense 100 power or 600 in my time down here found lots of veins just look move on even found one that everyone has been searching for years on won’t tell anyone where is because you would destroy the Bush nature must be protected for future generations where it is it feeds most of the claims I one page I was reading about that you put up the Veine split itself by 600 feet I was a hard rock miner not like you guys that go for free gold
Interesting but you were asked for proof regarding the three feet which anyone may work - pan down to -legal proof - legislation, the letter of the law but you have failed to produce it. Instead you tell us about yourself and what you did and then tell us that none of us worked hard rock mining. That is rather quaint because you know none of us!
2 Likes
A very polite response there Mr Lammerlaw…
1 Like