The Buller Plateaux Continuation Project is a proposal by Bathurst Resources and its joint venture partner BT Mining Ltd, to extend mining activities on the Buller Plateaux on the West Coast of New Zealand's South Island - a region with over a century of coal mining history that remains a vital contributor to the local economy and national industry. Bathurst is seeking authorisations for the project under the Fast-track Approvals Act 2024, aiming to secure a pathway for continued extraction of high-quality metallurgical coal, critical for steelmaking, while ensuring environmental and community considerations remain front and centre.
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Scope of the project
The project would continue mining at Stockton and Cypress mines, extend the existing Escarpment mine, develop the new Mount Frederick South area, and build the Upper Waimangaroa Haul Road to link the two plateaux. All areas sit within the established Stockton and Denniston mining zones and would extract around 20 million tonnes of coking coal over 25 years.
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An existing mine
As an existing operating mine, the Project can draw on workforce capability, established coal handling and logistics infrastructure, operational knowledge, stakeholder relationships including community, regulator and statutory authorities, and an established and proven environmental management systems.
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Our commitment
We're committed to minimising land disturbance, rehabilitating land progressively as mining proceeds, and investing in biodiversity programmes that reach well beyond the mine footprint. We're working openly with iwi, councils and the community.
Watch the story of the Buller Plateaux Continuation Project
Discover the scope and goals of the Buller Plateaux Continuation Project. From community partnerships to environmental stewardship, this overview shows why the project matters.
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390
existing West Coast jobs supported + 50 jobs elsewhere
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96%
of workforce live locally
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125
businesses supported across the West Coast
Register for updates
As the Project undergoes assessment, further information will be provided on this website.
Project status
The Buller Plateaux Continuation Project (BPCP) is being assessed under the Fast-track Approvals Act 2024 (FTAA). The FTAA enables efficient and timely assessments of projects that deliver national and regional benefits, by combining multiple statutory approvals processes into a single pathway while requiring consideration of environmental effects, Treaty settlement interests and other relevant matters. The FTAA is not a short cut to approval. The FTAA requires the same technical and environmental assessment process as any other approval pathway. The application has been informed by more than 55 technical studies covering numerous topics from mining and water management to ecology, heritage, and socio-economic impacts.
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01
Project Preparation
Developing project scope and completing baseline assessments, iwi and stakeholder consultation, and 55 technical studies underpinning the application.
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02
Project Submission
The substantive application is finalised and lodged with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
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Completeness Assessment
The application is reviewed for completeness and compliance with statutory requirements before progressing to an Expert Panel.
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04
Expert Panel Assessment
An independent Expert Panel evaluates the application against the requirements of the FTAA and determines whether approvals should be granted and if so, under what conditions.
