Allan Birchfield

Last updated

Allan Birchfield
Chairperson of West Coast Regional Council
In office
2019–2023
Personal details
Born1949or1950(age 74–75) [1]
New Zealand
ProfessionCoal and gold miner

Allan John Birchfield (born 1949/1950) is a coal and gold miner from the South Island's West Coast of New Zealand. He is a West Coast Regional Councillor who served as chairperson from 2019 to 2023. He is known for his climate change denial.

Contents

Family and mining career

Birchfield's family has a long history of coal and gold mining and sawmilling on the West Coast. [2] His father was Maxwell John Birchfield (1923–1990). [3] Birchfield farms land at Ngahere, works an alluvial gold claim near Hokitika, and is director of Birchfield Coal Mines Ltd, owned with his three siblings. [4] [1] Birchfield Coal Mines, started by Birchfield's parents in 1977, employs 20 people at a mine near Reefton, and in 2016 bought the Liverpool and Strongman mines from bankrupt mining company Solid Energy. [5]

Birchfield is the owner of the Kanieri, the last gold dredge operating on the West Coast and the largest remaining alluvial bucket gold dredge in the world. [2] The 3,500 tonnes (3,900 tons) dredge was built in 1938 to work the Kaniere area, and recovered 175,000 ounces (5,000 kg) of gold from around Hokitika and 202,000 ounces (5,700 kg) from the Taramakau River before stopping operation in 1978. [6] It was salvaged and rebuilt by US company R.A. Hanson Co. (also known as RAHCO) in 1989, who went into receivership eight months later. [7] The dredge was purchased by Birchfield Minerals in August 1992 and ran at Ngahere, 22 kilometres (14 mi) inland from Greymouth, until 2004 before being mothballed as unprofitable. [2] [7]

It restarted operation in 2009 with a NZ$2.2 million loan from Development West Coast, mining the Grey River flats near Blackball and ran until 2012, when falling gold prices and resource consents led to it being mothballed again. [6] [7] In 2013 Birchfield successfully defended eight charges by the Department of Conservation of undertaking commercial gold mining without authority and damaging conservation land at Blackball and the Grey River. [2] In 2016, then 65, he announced he was retiring from gold mining and put the dredge up for sale, but it remains in storage at his Ngahere property. He continues to work an alluvial gold claim south of Greymouth and in the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 he argued gold mining should continue as an essential service. [2] [1] He petitioned then-Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage to allow alluvial gold mining on Department of Conservation land. [8]

Local government career

Birchfield was elected chairman of the West Coast Regional Council in 2019, after six terms as a councillor, [9] and reinstated an opening prayer at Council meetings. "New Zealand is a Christian country, and Christian standards are good ones," he claimed. [10]

He was a member of the Te Tai o Poutini One Plan Committee, which is legally required to identify significant natural areas (SNAs) such as native forest or wetland remaining on private land. [11] [12] Ecologists Wildlands Consultants Ltd were hired to physically inspect features on private land that might qualify as a SNA, but Birchfield vowed to bar any ecologists from accessing his own land. "As far as I'm concerned, it's theft. If the government wants to save this stuff it should buy it." he said. [4]

Birchfield was removed as chair by his fellow councillors on 28 March 2023. [13] On 8 August, councillors voted to remove him from committees due to leaking confidential information to the media. [14]

Views and positions

Climate change denial

Birchfield denies the scientific consensus on climate change, specifically causation by humans and sea-level rise, calling it "a gigantic fraud" [15] and "the biggest rort in the history of human civilisation". [16] He refused to accept a report to the regional council about future hazards to the region from sea-level rise, calling it "bullshit". [16] When Kiwibank announced it would no longer do business with the fossil fuel industry, he accused them of "trying to destroy the economy." [17]

COVID-19 pandemic

Birchfield was rebuked by the New Zealand Race Relations Commissioner Meng Foon for referring to the COVID-19 as the "Chinese virus". [18] He claimed "It's not racist at all, we all know where it started." Buller mayor Jamie Cleine and Greymouth mayor Tania Gibson distanced themselves from Birchfield's remarks. [18]

Donald Trump

Birchfield is an admirer of former US President Donald Trump, [15] wearing a MAGA cap in photographs [15] and posing in front of a framed portrait of Trump. [4]

Politics

He is a staunch National supporter, [2] but in the 2011 general election ran as the ACT candidate for West Coast-Tasman, receiving 487 votes. [19]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Coast Region</span> Region of New Zealand

The West Coast is a region of New Zealand on the west coast of the South Island. It is administered by the West Coast Regional Council, and is known co-officially as Te Tai Poutini. It comprises the territorial authorities of Buller District, Grey District and Westland District. The principal towns are Westport, Greymouth and Hokitika. The region, one of the more remote areas of the country, is also the most sparsely populated. With a population of just 32,900 people, the West Coast is the least populous region in New Zealand. The population in the region grew by 0.4% over the year to July 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greymouth</span> Town in West Coast, New Zealand

Greymouth is the largest town in the West Coast region in the South Island of New Zealand, and the seat of the Grey District Council. The population of the whole Grey District is 14,250, which accounts for 43% of the West Coast's inhabitants. The Greymouth urban area had an estimated population of 8,340. A large proportion of the District, 65%, is part of the Conservation Estate owned and managed by the Department of Conservation making Greymouth a natural centre for walkers and trampers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Punakaiki</span> Place in West Coast, New Zealand

Punakaiki is a small village on the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand. It is located between Westport and Greymouth on State Highway 6, the only through-road on the West Coast. Punakaiki is immediately adjacent to Paparoa National Park, and is also the access point for a popular visitor attraction, the Pancake Rocks and Blowholes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Taramakau River</span> River in New Zealand

The Taramakau River is a river of the West Coast Region of the South Island of New Zealand. It rises in the Southern Alps / Kā Tiritiri o te Moana near Harper Pass, 80 kilometres (50 mi) due east of Hokitika, and runs westward for 75 kilometres (47 mi) into the Tasman Sea 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) south of Greymouth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reefton</span> Town in the South Island of New Zealand

Reefton is a small town in the West Coast region of New Zealand, some 80 km northeast of Greymouth, in the Inangahua River valley. Ahaura is 44 km south-west of Reefton, Inangahua Junction is 34 km to the north, Maruia is 63 km to the east, and the Lewis Pass is 66 km to the south-east.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Westland petrel</span> Species of bird

The Westland petrel(Procellaria westlandica),, also known as the Westland black petrel, is a moderately large seabird in the petrel family Procellariidae, that is endemic to New Zealand. Described by Robert Falla in 1946, it is a stocky bird weighing approximately 1,100 grams (39 oz), and is one of the largest of the burrowing petrels. It is a dark blackish-brown colour with black legs and feet. It has a pale yellow bill with a dark tip.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stillwater–Ngākawau Line</span> Railway line in New Zealand

The Stillwater Ngākawau Line (SNL), formerly the Stillwater–Westport Line (SWL) and the Ngakawau Branch, is a secondary main line, part of New Zealand's national rail network. It runs between Stillwater and Ngakawau via Westport on the West Coast of the South Island. It was one of the longest construction projects in New Zealand's history, with its first section, at the south end, opened in 1889, and the beginnings of the Ngākawau Branch, at its Westport end, in 1875. The full line was completed in 1942. The only slower railway projects were Palmerston North to Gisborne, 1872 to 1942, and the Main North Line to Picton, 1872 to 1945.

Ngahere is a locality in the Grey District of the West Coast of New Zealand's South Island. The 2013 New Zealand census gave the population of Ngahere and its surrounding area as 363, an increase of 5.2% or 18 people since the 2006 census. Ngahere is located on the south bank of the Grey River, and State Highway 7 and the Stillwater–Westport Line (SWL) railway pass through the village.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inchbonnie</span> Place in West Coast, New Zealand

Inchbonnie is a rural locality in the West Coast region of the South Island of New Zealand. It is located on the north bank of the Taramakau River and is just to the south of Lake Poerua. "Inchbonnie" is a hybrid of Lowland Scots, bonnie meaning "pretty" and Scottish Gaelic innis meaning island, often anglicised as "Inch", as in Inchkeith or Inchkenneth in Scotland.

The Pike River Mine is a coal mine formerly operated by Pike River Coal 46 km (29 mi) north-northeast of Greymouth in the West Coast Region of New Zealand's South Island. It is the site of the Pike River Mine disaster that occurred on 19 November 2010, leading to the deaths of 29 men whose remains have not been recovered. The mine and its assets are owned by the Department of Conservation, whom, on 1 July 2022, assumed ownership and management following the dissolution of the Pike River Recovery Agency. The former mine site and its surrounding land are a part of Paparoa National Park.

Waiuta is the location of a historic mining town on the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand. It is now abandoned and considered a ghost town. Located 58 km north of Greymouth and 21 km south of Reefton in Ikamatua, New Zealand, it was the site of a gold mine until 1951, when the collapse of the mine made it uneconomic. A number of buildings remain and there are still residents in what remains of the town. Nowadays Waiuta has become a tourist attraction, with few of the original buildings still intact that include the former police station, three cottages and the old barber shop.

The Ngakawau Restoration Project is a proposed hydro scheme planned to divert acid mine drainage from coal mines to an ocean outfall to restore water quality of the Ngākawau River, in the northern section of the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand. The project is a configuration of the Stockton Plateau Hydro Scheme being developed by Hydro Developments (2013) Limited. Project information can be found at https://hydrodevelopments.co.nz

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waitaha River</span> River in New Zealand

The Waitaha River is a river of the West Coast region of New Zealand's South Island.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eugenie Sage</span> New Zealand politician (born 1958)

Eugenie Meryl Sage is a New Zealand environmentalist and former politician. She was a Green Party Member of Parliament in the New Zealand House of Representatives from 2011 to 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maureen Pugh</span> New Zealand politician (born 1958)

Maureen Helena Pugh is a New Zealand politician. She was the mayor of Westland from 2004 to 2013. She first became a Member of Parliament for the National Party in 2016, leaving Parliament in 2017 and returning in 2018. She was initially a list MP, before winning the West Coast-Tasman electorate in 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Development West Coast</span> New Zealand charitable trust

Development West Coast (DWC) is a charitable trust that operates in the West Coast region of New Zealand. DWC is the economic development agency and regional tourism organisation for the region.

The Pounamu Pathway is a $34.5 million New Zealand tourism venture, launched in 2020 by the Māori hapū or subtribe Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Waewae, intended to create four linked visitor experience centres on the West Coast of the South Island. The visitor centres will tell stories of the West Coast's early Māori history and the importance of pounamu or greenstone.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barrytown Flats</span> Coastal plain in New Zealand

The Barrytown Flats are a 17 km (11 mi) coastal plain north of Greymouth on the West Coast of New Zealand's South Island. A series of postglacial shorelines and dunes backed by a former sea cliff, they was originally covered with wetland and lowland forest, including numerous nīkau palms. The sands were extensively sluiced and dredged for gold from the 1860s, centred on the small settlement of Barrytown. The drier areas of the flats have been converted into pasture, but significant areas of forest remain, including Nikau Scenic Reserve. The flats are bordered by Paparoa National Park and the only breeding site of the Westland petrel. There are significant deposits of ilmenite in the Barrytown sands, and there have been several mining proposals, but the possible environmental consequences have been contentious.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Truman Track</span>

The Truman Track is a short, easy walking track located north of Punakaiki, in the coastal Paparoa National Park in the South Island of New Zealand. Although only 600 m (2,000 ft) long, it has been described as "one of the most delightful and interesting short walks on the West Coast". The track passes through lowland coastal forest of podocarps, rātā trees and nīkau palms, with dense understorey vegetation. It finishes at the coastline, where there is a viewing platform providing views along the coast, with surrounding cliffs, rock overhangs, and a waterfall that cascades directly onto the beach.

Joseph Divis was a Czech-born New Zealand miner and photographer. He lived and worked in Waiuta, New Zealand. His photographs of miners form a historical record of mining on the West Coast.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Williams, Lois (3 April 2020). "Goldmining on hold during Covid-19 lockdown". RNZ. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Carroll, Joanne (21 January 2016). "Unique West Coast gold dredge for sale". Stuff. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
  3. ↑ "Maxwell John Birchfield". Ancestry.com . Retrieved 19 November 2020.
  4. 1 2 3 Williams, Lois (31 August 2020). "'No ecologists on my land' – West Coast Regional council chair". RNZ. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
  5. ↑ Carroll, Joanne (1 November 2016). "Two historic West Coast coal mines to reopen". Stuff. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
  6. 1 2 Curtis, Peter; Curtis, Pauline (2012). "Touring New Zealand 2012 part 8". Uniquely NZ. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
  7. 1 2 3 McBride, Paul (1 April 2019). "Tauranga miner wishes to buy giant gold dredge". Otago Daily Times Online News. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
  8. ↑ Williams, Lois (19 June 2020). "Gold miner hopeful mining will be allowed on conservation land". RNZ. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
  9. ↑ Mills, Laura (26 October 2019). "Birchfield to chair West Coast Regional Council". Otago Daily Times . Retrieved 19 November 2020.
  10. ↑ Williams, Lois (19 December 2019). "West Coast Regional Council reinstates prayer at meetings". Scoop News. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
  11. ↑ Williams, Lois (28 August 2020). "SNA work begins on West Coast". RNZ. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
  12. ↑ Williams, Lois (18 June 2020). "West Coast council locks in rates freeze". Stuff. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
  13. ↑ Naish, Joanne (28 March 2023). "Allan Birchfield removed as West Coast Regional Council chairperson". Stuff.
  14. ↑ Naish, Joanne (8 August 2023). "Controversial councillor told to apologise after leaking information to media". Stuff.
  15. 1 2 3 Carroll, Joanne; Gorman, Paul (29 January 2019). "West Coast Regional Council wants proof of human-caused climate change before supporting Zero Carbon Bill". Stuff. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
  16. 1 2 Williams, Lois (12 May 2020). "Climate change 'a rort' – West Coast Regional Council chair". RNZ. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
  17. ↑ Carroll, Joanne (23 July 2020). "Kiwibank 'trying to destroy' the New Zealand economy, miner says". Stuff. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
  18. 1 2 Sherwood, Sam (15 August 2020). "Coronavirus: Race Relations Commissioner says West Coast chairman's comments about China 'not on'". Stuff. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
  19. ↑ "Official Count Results – West Coast-Tasman (2011)". Electoral Commission . Retrieved 24 October 2017.
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