Nearly
eighteen months ago Newmont Waihi Operations joined with the local district
council and members of the Waihi community in the initiation and running of a
community liaison forum.

This
forum - the Waihi Community Consultative Committee (WCCC) - was set up with the
objective of improving communication, providing a forum for discussion and
ultimately working through a range of issues relating to the future of the town
and district after the projected closure of Martha Mine in late-2006.

After
18 months of meetings where all represented groups have presented their views,
the challenge now is to work together to investigate likely options, seek
sources of funding, produce business proposals and plan for the future of Waihi
in what we call the Golden Legacy Project.

This
paper backgrounds the company's experiences to date, the issues the group has
addressed and its proposals for the future. Methods employed to set up an
effective community liaison forum are considered, drawing on specific examples
from the WCCC. The actions and structures required to ensure effective and
ongoing community buy in' at all levels are also discussed.

This paper develops themes addressed in Taking it to the
Streets presented in 2003.