Actor Sam Neill has said he received threats of violence from supporters of a controversial goldmine near his farm in New Zealand's Central Otago district. The Jurassic Park star publicly opposed government plans to fast-track the Bendigo-Ophir open-cast goldmine, proposed by Australian mining company Santana Minerals.
The mine, described as the country's most significant gold discovery in 40 years, would cover 85 hectares in the Dunstan mountains, an area designated as an 'outstanding natural landscape' by the local council. Neill joined community group Sustainable Tarras in opposing the project, warning of environmental destruction and threats to tourism in a prime wine region.
In a viral Instagram video, Neill said he was unprepared for the personal abuse he received. Sustainable Tarras confirmed that members also faced threats, some reported to police. Resources Minister Shane Jones, a supporter of the mine, called Neill 'anti-Kiwi' and dismissed his concerns as 'Hollywood, thespian antics'.
Neill, who has run a pinot noir vineyard in the region for 30 years, argued that Central Otago's economy is thriving without the mine. 'The last thing we need is a toxic mine upstream,' he said. The mine would include a tailings dam for poisonous waste, including arsenic. Neill emphasised the responsibility to leave the planet better than we found it.
