3-AD006.00 SOCIAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT WAIHI NORTH PROJECT Oceana Gold New Zealand Limited WSP June 2022 52 Impact Description: The construction of the surface infrastructure, tunnel portal and tunnel development will result in the movement of construction vehicles, materials, and workforce on Willows Road. The Transportation Assessment has determined that daily traffic movements on Willows Road are anticipated to peak at around 332 veh/day (in 2024) when tunnelling commences during construction. Most of the heavy vehicles are expected over the first year of the project. Heavy vehicle movements will peak at approximately 200 daily movements in 2024. During the operational phase of the WUG (2028 to 2036) the traffic movements will be largely associated with exploration, mining and rock stack operation, rehabilitation and closure. Traffic movements on Willows Road are anticipated to be less during the operational phase, compared with the construction phase, as a result of bulk materials transfer via underground tunnels. Traffic movements on Willows Road have been forecasted to peak when mining commences at approximately 334 veh/d for a 9-month period in 2027/2028. Heavy vehicle movements are expected to total less than 50 veh/d (i.e. approximately 7 veh/h) (Transportation Assessment, Stantec, 2022). The peak hourly movements occur in 2028 when the workforce is near its peak. The Transportation Assessment states that the peak hourly movements in 2028 on Willows Road will be 72 veh/h at the 7am peak and 42 veh/h for the road network peak (4pm to 6pm) with the large majority of these movements expected to be light vehicles associated with workforce movements. Heavy vehicle movements are expected to be few and spread over the day (between 9am and 4pm). The Transportation Assessment evaluated the potential adverse effects of traffic movement associated with the project and confirmed that, with mitigation, these effects will be avoided or mitigated to an acceptable level. The increased traffic movements will be in contrast with the current low volume and largely residential road usage associated with Willows Road, in particular the section of the road beyond the first 300 m. An increase in heavy vehicles and traffic volume has the potential to have a negative effect on the amenity for those residents who live in Willows Road. Impact Statement: The extent of the potential impact on amenity related to increased traffic movements will be largely limited to the immediate Willows Road area. The duration of the impact will be short term, and will affect directly affected owners, occupiers and users of properties in this area. The social effects associated with a change in the quality of the environment are considered to be moderate. Provision of information to affected parties will manage residents’ expectations regarding the changes that could be experienced, and continuation of the existing complaints registration and feedback process will allow concerns to be raised and timeously addressed. Mitigation: The mitigation identified in the Transportation Assessment (Stantec, 2022) is supported. Mitigation recommended to address the social effects associated with reduced amenity from increased traffic movements during construction and the early stages of the operational phase: • Results of the Transportation Assessment (Stantec, 2022) to be discussed with the Willows Road affected by proximity residents. • Continuation of the existing OGNZL complaint registration and feedback process.
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