3-AD006.00 SOCIAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT WAIHI NORTH PROJECT Oceana Gold New Zealand Limited WSP June 2022 66 Magnitude Few affected Few affected Consequence Minor Minor Likelihood Unlikely Unlikely Significance Low Low 6.4 WELLBEING 6.4.1 IMPACT ON WELLBEING Wellbeing includes positive emotions (i.e., contentment and happiness), satisfaction with life, fulfilment and positive functioning, and the absence of negative emotions such as depression and anxiety. Impact Description: In the context of this assessment, the potential impact on the wellbeing of individuals is anticipated to be a result of the following: • Anxiety – due to the uncertainty associated with the potential effects of the project on individuals. Some people are sensitive to change, and some may be concerned about the perceived or anticipated effects of the WNP which will affect their overall wellbeing. • Change in the quality of the environment – changes in the amenity associated with the environment in which people live, particularly relating to aspects that people value about their lifestyle and the locations that they live in. During engagement the concept or potential impact on wellbeing was not specifically identified by stakeholders but was inherent in some of the concerns, fears, and perceptions raised. Heightened levels of anxiety are often a result of ‘not knowing’ and worrying about the potential effects of a project which can mitigated to a large extent through the provision of information. A large proportion of concerns raised during engagement with residents affected by proximity related to changes in residential amenity due to a reduced quality of environment. The anticipated impact of the quality of the environment has been assessed in Section 6.3. Impact Statement: There were a number of stakeholders that raised concerns due to an expectation that they would be directly affected by the project and concerns related to a change in amenity. The project has the potential to affect the wellbeing of a range of stakeholders regardless of their proximity to the proposed project. The potential for reduced wellbeing is therefore likely to limited to the local area and would be experienced over the medium term (construction and operational phase). It is anticipated that the magnitude of the impact is likely to be limited to a few affected people and is considered possible. Overall, this impact has been assessed to be of moderate significance prior to mitigation.
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