The Central Otago district has a population of about 25,800 usual residents, spread across small towns including Cromwell, Alexandra and Clyde, according to Stats NZ.
No independent verification has been provided of respondents’ identities and locations or whether they live in Central Otago.
Speaking to the Herald, group spokesman Bill Sanders, of Cromwell, said the group was transparent in its approach and stood by its findings.
The Dunstan Mountains could be home to a large gold mine between Bendigo and Ophir. Photo / Simon Williams
However, he did not provide verification details on how many respondents are based in Central Otago or how the membership composition of the Facebook group breaks down geographically.
“For months, the narrative has been that this project lacks community support. We’ve now provided documented evidence of the opposite, and your response is to question the people providing it,” he said.
“You can interrogate the survey all you like, the methodology is published, but it doesn’t change the underlying fact: 8200 people showed up, and 852 formally put their names behind support.
“Nothing about this is hidden or engineered, the methodology is published. If there’s an issue, it’s not with transparency.”
In its submission, the group says it was formed in early 2026 to provide a platform for supporters of the project, arguing public debate has been dominated by organised opposition.
“The group provides a platform for individuals who believe the project has the potential to deliver regional benefits, provided it is subject to appropriate scrutiny, conditions and oversight,” the submission says.
It also argues that the rapid growth of the Facebook group reflects “substantial support” that should be considered alongside opposing submissions.
The survey, conducted between March 18 and April 3, received 860 responses, with 852 included after consent was obtained.
According to the group, 95.4% supported the project outright, with a further 4% supporting it subject to conditions.
Respondents also rated the project’s economic and employment impacts overwhelmingly positively.
Santana Minerals CEO Damian Spring says its Bendigo-Ophir Gold Project is the ultimate opportunity in his career in mining. Photo / Alyse Wright
Santana Minerals chief executive Damian Spring has previously said the project would generate an average of about 351 operational jobs over a 14-year mine life, with salaries averaging around $140,000, and contribute an estimated $360 million annually to GDP, or about $5.8 billion over the life of the project.
Under the Fast-track Approvals Act 2024, the decision will be based on whether environmental effects are proportionate to the project’s regional and national benefits, alongside technical and expert evidence.
The pro-mine submission sits alongside a wide range of opposing and technical submissions, including from the Department of Conservation, Kāi Tahu rūnaka, Forest & Bird, the Central Otago Winegrowers Association and the Environmental Defence Society, many of which raise concerns around water systems, biodiversity, cultural values and landscape effects.
In contrast, the Santana Mine Supporters Group submission focuses on economic benefits, arguing the project would generate employment, increase household incomes and support regional diversification away from tourism and agriculture.
For some supporters, those potential benefits are personal.
Queenstown resident, YouTuber and mining worker, Tom Woodward, who has worked in mines in Australia, said the project represented one of the few realistic opportunities to stay in the region long-term.
“For some of us, this isn’t an abstract debate – it’s about whether we can afford to stay in the place we call home,” he said.
Woodward said he had been flying overseas for month-long mining shifts to support his young family, and faced the prospect of relocating permanently.
“Without jobs that offer pay high enough to service a mortgage and live on, it becomes impossible to stay.”
He also rejected characterisations of the supporters group as co-ordinated, describing it as “an organic collection of people”.
Supporter and group administrator Tezza Maree, who also previously worked in Australia’s mining sector, said the industry could offer training and career pathways locally.
“It will inject hope for the future … give young families a great start and keep them in this country,” she said.
Maree said she hoped to help train local workers if the project proceeds, adding that the industry had become more inclusive over time.
Santana Minerals has also pointed to expressions of interest in employment, saying a January survey yielded 671 respondents, with about two-thirds living within an hour’s drive of the proposed site.
The company says responses included people with construction, mining, processing and technical backgrounds, as well as others with no mining experience, including some New Zealanders now working in Australia.
The group also acknowledges environmental risks, particularly around groundwater, tailings storage and long-term rehabilitation, but argues these can be managed through strict conditions, monitoring and financial assurance mechanisms.
Spring has disputed some environmental concerns raised by opponents, including estimates of the effects on native lizards.
Department of Conservation figures have suggested as many as 600,000 native lizards could be affected.
On Ryan Bridge TODAY, Spring said those figures were based on company studies but argued mitigation would involve locating and relocating affected animals.
Gold mines are part of Central Otago’s past, and Santana Minerals is working towards making them part of its future. Photo / Santana Minerals
He also rejected concerns around cyanide use and bird deaths as outdated, saying the project would comply with international cyanide management standards.
The Bendigo-Ophir project is one of the most significant developments to go through the fast-track regime, with a decision expected this year.
It has become one of the most contentious proposals in Central Otago in decades, with supporters citing jobs and economic resilience, and opponents warning of irreversible environmental and landscape impacts.
High-profile critics, including actor Sir Sam Neill, have previously raised concerns about the scale of open-cast mining in the region.
Neill said the backlash included criticism from Resources Minister Shane Jones, who has been a staunchly vocal supporter of the mine.
“He chose to make this personal, and I’m baffled as to why he would do that … he’s a guy I don’t understand. Not at all,” Neill said in a video posted to Instagram.
The panel’s decision will weigh competing submissions, technical evidence, and statutory tests under the Fast-track Approvals Act 2024.
A decision is expected in October.
Ben Tomsett is a multimedia journalist based in Dunedin. He joined the Herald in 2023.