This paper explores the challenges of incorporating women’s voices in the mining process on Misima Island PNG. It is based on an extended period of sixteen months anthropological fieldwork in 1990 and 1991 when I was concerned primarily with women’s health and childbirth. More notably in 2000 on behalf of Oxfam Community Aid Abroad I spent three weeks investigating the community perceptions of the impact of the mine In addition to these visits I have returned to Misima on several occasions as a member of the Sustainable Planning Advisory Committee (SPAC), an initiative of Misima Mines Limited (MML). This paper draws on my final report to Oxfam Community Aid Abroad (Byford 2001).