In this conversation, René sits down with Sefton Darby to unpack why ESG has attracted so much backlash—and what that means for mining, permitting, and public trust. They talk about the difference between sustainability reporting and real-world outcomes, why “social performance” work often fails when it’s treated as purely external comms, and what the best operators do differently: long lead times, strong internal links to operations, and decisions that change based on community input.
They also dig into New Zealand’s fast-tracking debate, the growing pressure to “just get stuff done” amid geopolitical instability, and why cutting corners on regulation can backfire by reducing confidence and acceptance.
Finally, they get into the uncomfortable bits: the broken incentives in the exploration-to-mine pathway, why early-stage funding rarely supports social and environmental risk work, and what needs to change—skills, governance, investors, and public science—to build projects that can actually last.
Timestamps:
0:01:17 - Guest intro and the conversation agenda
0:02:46 - Setting the scene: career journey into mining policy
0:04:05 - UK government → EITI: corruption, transparency, and extractives
0:08:37 - Returning to NZ and moving into industry (Newmont/Waihi)
0:12:54 - Correnso project: community impacts and “social performance” realities
0:15:29 - Is anyone doing it right? What “good” looks like
0:21:30 - ESG noise, algorithms, and the fast-track era
0:28:35 - New Zealand fast-track + “Shaneocracy”: politics vs long-term licence
0:42:35 - Case examples and the “broken” exploration-to-mine model
0:58:36 - Public science, trust drivers, and why watering down regulation backfires
Subscribe / comment: I’d love to hear your take—what does “doing it well” actually look like in practice?
Measured is RSC’s podcast series, with RSC Managing Director and Principal Consultant René Sterk conversing with a range of industry personalities. Expect a range of talking points, many with a technical theme, but also some of our industry friends sharing anecdotes about their career in the mineral exploration and mining sector and thoughts on some of the issues the industry faces.
Please enjoy, and don't forget to follow RSC on all our social media platforms!
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