Happy Valley Visit Faces Solid Energy Intimidation

State miner accused of intimidation
22 November 2005

By BECK ELEVEN

A group campaigning to stop Solid Energy from mining coal on the West Coast has accused the state-owned company of intimidation.
Save Happy Valley members said they were on an overnight camping trip in Happy Valley, 25km north-west of Westport, where they planned to show visitors an area that Solid Energy plans to convert to an open-cast coalmine.

The spokeswoman for the Christchurch contingent of Save Happy Valley, Frances Mountier, said the 33 protesters, including overseas guests and children, were victims of "over the top" intimidation. She said their camp was "invaded" on Saturday night by three security guards, and they were filmed, photographed and asked for personal details.

A spokesman for the West Coast branch of Forest and Bird, Peter Lusk, gave his name to the security guards – for which he received a pre-emptive trespass notice. Lusk said he gave his name because he was already known to Solid Energy and was banned from its Ngakawau coal-handling plant and its Westport and Christchurch offices.

The next morning, on their way out of the valley, the protesters were filmed by security guards again and stopped by a police roadblock.

"It's just a tactic to squash the opposition," said Mountier. The group says it opposes mining in the area as it is home to kiwi and rare land snails.

Solid Energy spokeswoman Vicki Blyth said the company's treatment of the group was not heavy-handed but a reaction to the campaigners' past behaviour.

"Last year they went into working areas of the (Stockton) mine, causing danger to our staff and themselves," she said. "They have chained themselves to train tracks and the front of our reception, which was intimidating and upsetting to us."

On another occasion, members of the group were caught in a sudden change of weather on the "unforgiving terrain" and had to be assisted out by Solid Energy staff. Blyth said she appreciated the group members intended to camp on public land, but experience suggested they could endanger themselves or mine staff.

She said filming of the group was the same treatment the security guards had received. "We accept their right to protest but they have to accept they have caused us inconvenience and disruption. They are a hazard to staff and themselves," Blyth said.

Senior Sergeant John Canning, of the Westport police, said police were following up Solid Energy's trespass complaint.

First they laugh at you, then they ignore you, then they fight you, then you win.
Was in Ghandi that said that?...
Right now they're fighting us - in the courts (vs Forest and Bird), on the streets (PR campaigns), and now out there in the valley too!
This means we're at a point where Solid Energy are taking us very seriously because we're a real threat to them. We should be proud of that, and we should keep pushing them harder!
Listen to Radio NZ at 12 and 5 today (Tuesday) as they should have reports. Possibly also 'Checkpoint' too.
SHV Coalition - Love your work, carry on.

my favourite moment was the visit to the stockton mine wen the security people appeared on the horizon with their arms on their hips looking like something out of a weird scifi historical style thingee and then one of the slipped ova that was funny

very interesting tactics; does anyone know the legality of video evidence? I'd assume that it would fall under similar constraints as taped audio, ie. not admissable in court if taken without permission (I think). Anyone know more accurate details of this?

I'd justb like to take this opportunity to update that Gandhi quote:

First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they misrepresent and demonise you, then they prevaricate, then they fight you, then they call on you to be reasonable and compromise, then they pretend you’ve always been their best mate and they agreed with you all along, then they fight you again, then they offer you a job, then they lean on your friends to sell you out, then they fight you again, then they try and take the credit for everything you’ve done, then they fight you some more, then they discover their own allies have all jumped ship and come to you begging and scraping, and then, if you haven’t died of old age, you win.