3-AD006.00 SOCIAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT WAIHI NORTH PROJECT Oceana Gold New Zealand Limited WSP June 2022 11 • Waihi town and surrounds The remaining WNP project components – the GOP, TSF3, NRS and WTP and processing plant upgrades – are proposed to take place adjacent to or within the existing Waihi mining operations. Waihi town is steeped in mining history, dating back to the discovery of gold in 1897. Present day mining activities are located adjacent to existing residential and rural residential land uses. 3.4 COMMUNITY PROFILE Baseline data associated with the regional, local and Waihi community social context is presented in Appendix B. The presentation of a profile of the community in the sections below is based on the baseline data collected and an understanding of the relevance of this data in the context of the WNP. 3.4.1 DEMOGRAPHICS A review of the demographic profile of the regional, local, and community context provides an understanding of the existing social environment. Consideration has been given to age, gender and diversity, deprivation index, qualifications and skills, and the relevance of these demographics to the proposed WNP. Age profile Total population was captured as 5,403 for Waihi town and 40,074 for the local area in 2018 census data. The median age in Waihi town and the local area was 49.6 years based on the 2018 census data. This is substantially higher than the median age in the regional context. A review of the age structure within Waihi and the local area confirms a larger older population (60-70+ years) and a smaller younger population (<15 years) compared with the regional average. The age profile of a community and local area provides an indicator of the likelihood of impacts on schools, pre-schools, commercial and employment areas, and health care facilities. All these aspects are relevant in the context of the WNP. The high elderly population is an indicator that impacts on certain facilities, in particular health care, may require careful consideration. Given the current low young population, consideration needs to be given to the capacity of existing schools to accommodate an increase in demand should there be an influx of families with school-age children into the area. Gender and diversity The gender split in Waihi town and the local area is an average of 51% female and 49% male, which is aligned to regional and national data. OGNZL’s existing workforce is 13% female and 87% male, which is reflective of mining being a largely male dominated industry. The ethnic diversity of the current OGNZL workforce is predominantly of European descent (67.1%), with 15.5% identifying as Māori. This is lower than the average of 17.9% within the local area, and lower than the proportion in New Zealand of 16.5%. The gender and ethnic diversity of the OGNZL workforce should be representative of the population and in accordance with the company’s gender and diversity policies. The need to increase the workforce to respond to the WNP provides an opportunity for OGNZL to address potential imbalances in their workforce profile through targeted skills development, training and employment initiatives.
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