The New Zealand Superannuation Fund has excluded Canadian-based global mining company Barrick Gold Corporation and its subsidiary African Barrick Gold from its NZ$22 billion investment portfolio on "responsible investment" grounds.
Barrick’s mines in Papua New Guinea and Tanzania have experienced a series of security-related, environmental and community problems over a lengthy time period. The Fund’s Manager, Responsible Investment, Anne-Maree O’Connor, said the Fund viewed Barrick’s activities as inconsistent with the human rights and environmental standards contained in the UN Global Compact, the key benchmark against which the Fund measures corporate behaviour.
Ms O’Connor said while Barrick had made recent steps to improve its policies and practices, there was no practical remedy for the environmental impact of riverine tailings (the practice of disposing mining waste into rivers) and the Fund’s view was that progress on resolving community grievances and security issues had been slow.
Ms O’Connor said the Fund had decided not to engage with Barrick.
“In reaching our decision we took account of the security and environmental context in which the companies operate, and the length of time over which problems have occurred.
“Given the circumstances, we believe engagement with Barrick would be unlikely to be successful, and until it is evident that significant improvements can be made on the ground we will be excluding both companies from our portfolio.
“It is important that we focus the Fund’s efforts to influence company behaviour on situations where we believe a difference can be made.”
The use of riverine tailings breaches international norms, with the World Bank and the International Finance Corporation no longer financing projects that make use of riverine tailings disposal.
As at 31 December 2012, the Fund held shares worth NZ$1,826,470 in Barrick Gold Corporation and NZ$78,824 in African Barrick Gold in its global equity portfolio. The stocks have now been sold.
1 Comments
As at 31 December 2012, the Fund held shares worth NZ$1,826,470 in Barrick Gold Corporation and NZ$78,824 in African Barrick Gold in its global equity portfolio. The stocks have now been sold.
Sold when? - the fund's managers should have noted Barrick's previous agressive selling gold production forward policy locked them into not so profitable and sometimes questionable mining endeavours.
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