OceanaGold started life at Macraes Mine in Otago, 30 years ago.
Today, combined with Macraes, the company/Oceana Gold has mines in the North Island at Waihi; in the Philippines at Didipio; and in South Carolina on America’s east coast at the Haile Gold Mine. Alison Paul is General Manager, Corporate & Legal Affairs, for the company’s New Zealand operations.
She is a long-time Otago resident, and has watched both OceanaGold and its association with the Otago Medical Research Foundation develop and flourish.
“Throughout the history of our company we have embraced opportunities to grow the body of knowledge in our field and delivered award-winning initiatives driven by a commitment to social, economic, operational, and environmental sustainability. The Otago Medical Research Foundation shares this commitment to innovation and excellence, which makes OceanaGold’s support of their medical research projects such a natural fit.”
“Our Macraes staff live, work and play in Otago. They are part of the community, as is our company. As such, we firmly believe that we have a responsibility and commitment to organisations like the Foundation. Since our involvement began in 2014 we have supported six significant research projects through sponsorship of the Foundation’s Golf Day and Night to Remember events.”
Alison says that OceanaGold values the people and the community in which it operates, and that it is these same people who benefit from the ongoing research of the OMRF and its pre-eminent reputation as a facilitator of research that takes those benefits far beyond Otago’s borders.
“In our day-to-day mining operations, we set out to give back through well-researched environmental restoration and partnerships with organisations involved in scientific and medical research and education. Our funding partnership with the Foundation provides us with the opportunity to contribute to projects which have the ability to change lives and contribute to an enduring legacy. It’s all about building the foundations for a resilient community. Despite operating in very different fields of endeavour, our objectives are very similar. We all want the best that science and learning can deliver for our communities.”
The vision of OceanaGold is to be the best gold mining company across the complete spectrum of their stakeholders - for employees, communities, the environment, regulators, investors and business partners. It’s a vision that the company puts into practice through partnerships with established and respected organisations like the Foundation, which is able to fund research with an international reach.
“Medical research changes lives for the better”, says Alison. “OceanaGold is pleased to be a part of that change through the Foundation.”
Pictured - Neil Tayem and Gary Skevington