'Sam effect' sees donations surge to community group fighting Otago mine

A community group fighting against a proposed gold mine in Central Otago has received more than $22,000 in donations since the death of Sir Sam Neill.Sir Sam was a prominent and vocal opponent of Australian company Santana Minerals' fast-tracked Bendigo-Ophir gold mine near Cromwell.He died suddenly from pneumonia in Sydney at the age of 78 on 13 July.Sir Sam lived in nearby Earnscleugh, an hour away from the mine site, where he established Two Paddocks winery in 1993.After his death, his family listed the group Sustainable Tarras among four causes for suggested donations in his memory.Chair Suze Keith said donations ranging from $10 to $1000 had poured in from hundreds of people around the world."We're absolutely overwhelmed at the generosity of people trusting us with their funds despite it being a very bittersweet situation," she said."It's just been so encouraging. We are quite a small community group and when we started becoming aware of the proposed mine and what it involved two and a half years ago, we were really uncertain about what we could do about it. Because of the Sam effect, we've been able to really step up our effort to a level that we would have never imagined we would be able to achieve."Altogether the group had raised more than $72,000 on its Givealittle page from more than 700 people.Keith said the money would be used for legal fees and sourcing experts as the fast-track process continued.The application was currently on pause, with a final decision from the fast-track panel not expected until December.Keith said Sustainable Tarras had already consulted 16 experts in its submission on Santana Minerals' application."At the start of the year, we thought right, we'll do a really good application and that will be our effort but actually, seven months later, we're still donkey deep in a process that's asking more and more of our experts," she said.Sir Sam called the proposed mine "toxic", "horrific" and "a threat to Central Otago's pristine landscapes".Other local advocates had welcomed the potential boost to the Central Otago economy and the jobs the mine could deliver, saying it would be a positive move for the region and a continuation of the area's mining legacy.In an Instagram post, Sir Sam said he had received a "shocking and disturbing" level of threats and abuse as a result of his stance.Santana Minerals has been contacted for comment.