Building and
Maintaining Community Relationships

In
mining terms, the town of Waihi is distinctive with the Martha mine
situated right in the heart of the town. Martha's central location and other
mining activity nearby means there is an increased community focus on the happenings at the mine and the
effects and impacts of mining.
While Waihi's proximity to the mine is unique, all mines have a community
context that they operate within.

Issues of proximity
simply heighten awareness and emphasise the need for building and maintaining
good community relationships. In the three years we have been working alongside
the Waihi community, we have worked together with concerned and supportive
residents, representatives of Newmont Waihi Gold and representatives of Hauraki
District Council, to develop a collaborative framework for addressing the
economic, social, environmental, cultural and spiritual wellbeing of the people
of Waihi. This could not have occurred without the genuine commitment of all
participants.

This
collaborative focus has resulted in some tangible progress in Waihi which, in
part, stems from people taking an interest in the town because the town is
taking an interest in itself. As we have worked and learned within the process
of building and maintaining a collaborative and sustainable community
environment, we have tried to adhere to a philosophy and a set of basic
principles. We believe that this approach, combined with a teachable skill set,
helped to create the opportunity to develop a truly collaborative community
environment which continues to grow. Our paper will describe this philosophy,
these principles and the skill set that we have applied.

The
application of the process in Waihi has resulted in a series of outcomes unique
to Waihi. These outcomes include formation of the Waihi Community Vision
committee, the Vision Waihi Trust and the subgroups set up to further the
interests of particular groups, for the collective benefit of all the
community.

Based on our experience
of other situations, and on the way the Waihi process has developed, we believe
that the identified principles and skills can be transported and used in other
cultures and contexts. While the resultant outcomes may differ, the underlying
principles will still apply. Progress will come from creating a sustainable
environment within which the community (including residents, industry and
regulatory authority) can determine its own internal relationships and the
vibrant growing sense it has of itself.