David Seymour is shown all that glitters in ‘them thar hills’ at controversial Santana gold mine

Analysis bySenior Writer·NZ Herald·28 Oct, 2026 04:00 PM4 mins to readDerek Cheng is a Multimedia Journalist for the New Zealand Herald. He values holding those in power to account and shining a light on issues kept in the dark.‌It was curious when David Seymour, addressing a political panel audience on Tuesday, said Act would make New Zealand healthier and wealthier – and also “greener”. This seemed to imply a belief that extracting minerals also somehow improved the environment. Normally the argument is that the economic benefit is enough