SHVC Angered by Drilling in Happy Valley

The pristine alpine West Coast wetland of Happy Valley, home to the great spotted kiwi and a major biodiversity hotspot of the Ngakawau Ecological District faces minor disruption from the ongoing rock drilling undertaken by Solid Energy at 35 sites within the valley.

Happy Valley; site of New Zealand's longest-running environmental occupation, is a delicate and fragile ecosystem home to many threatened and little known species.

Graham Jury, a spokesperson for the Coalition states "Solid Energy have repeatedly shown a flagrant disregard for New Zealand's natural heritage by devastating the core habitat of the Mt Augustus Snail, secretly funding "independant" research into New Zealand's climate change issues, and promoting the dirty and obsolete energy resource of coal. This drilling has no place within Happy Valley and will be met with staunch opposition from the Coalition".

The Save Happy Valley Coalition has non-violently opposed Solid Energy's climate change inducing and biodiversity threatening activities for almost five years.

media spokesperson: Graham Jury
027 307 0448

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