Supporting Technical Assessments

Boffa Miskell Ltd | Waihi North Project | Terrestrial Ecology Values and Effects of the WUG | 22 June 2022 79 - Avoid native bat roost trees where possible and ensure potential bat roosts are not occupied; and - Avoid felling active native bird nests in clearance area, chicks should be fledged or the nest failed before felling. - Avoid ‘Threatened’ / ‘At Risk’ invertebrate species where possible and relocate individuals and associated habitat elements. • Tree felling protocols to be implemented to avoid removal of active bat roosts and bird nests (i.e. roosts and nests must be vacated before felling) in all circumstances where habitat is removed at Willows Road Farm45. • Transfer of logs and potential habitat for stag beetles, peripatus and paua slug during site clearance to outside of the clearance footprint. • Avoiding the spread of kauri dieback disease by following stringent hygiene and surveillance procedures. 8.3 Remedy The following remediation measures are proposed: • Effects management for construction of the Services Trench will include re-grassing the disturbed area to reduce the potential for dust and/or sediment runoff. • Revegetation of the Willows Road rock stack area once the rock stack is exhausted / on mine closure. Infrastructure on the farm will be removed when no longer required and the farm property will be returned to pastoral farming. • Remove surface infrastructure at vent raises, restore vent raise footprint and undertake weed control. Rather than replanting within Coromandel Forest Park, natural revegetation will be facilitated through weed and pest control to promote a more robust and complex vegetation community. 8.4 Mitigate The following mitigation measures are proposed to reduce the severity of adverse ecological effects: • Project and engineering actions to reduce the impact of noise and air discharges at Willows Road Farm. These include noise barriers (bunds), installing the external ventilation fan in an insulated shipping container to reduce noise levels, water spray trucks and reseeding the topsoil stockpile to reduce dust. • Project and engineering actions to minimise potential impacts on fauna and habitats within Coromandel Forest Park including use of a small helicopter to reduce noise effects; the vent fan being fitted to base of shaft to reduce noise experienced at the surface; vents constructed from the bottom up to reduce disturbance to the forest, vent 45 A series of sub-management plans will be prepared to guide fauna management prior to and during vegetation clearance at Willows Road Farm, including a Bat Management Plan, Avifauna Management Plan, Lizard Management Plan. The objectives of these plans are detailed in proposed conditions; Part E of the AEE, (Mitchell Daysh, 2022).

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