Gold

Since 1992 gold output has ranged between 325,000 and 390,000 ounces each year with a value of more than $240 million. Production has been rising strongly since 1984. The 1995 level of output was last reached in 1911.

Gold production is about equally divided between two hard rock mines, the Macaes mine in Otago and the Martha and Favona mines near Waihi, and alluvial gold being produced by about 20 mining operations extracting gold from gravel deposited by rivers in the South Island.

Aggregates……

Aggregates are produced at nearly 600 quarries located throughout New Zealand and most supply markets within a distance of about 50 kilometres. The main producers therefore tend to be concentrated around cities. The largest, located near Auckland, produces about two million tonnes of building and roading aggregate each year. Only two others produced more than 500,000 tonnes of these materials and both are located within 50 kilometres of central Auckland.

In 2007 New Zealand produced more than 46.34 million tonnes of rocks and non-metallic minerals worth NZ592 million. Almost all of this material was used in New Zealand. The total includes rock, sand and gravel, as well as limestone, clay, pumice, and other rocks and minerals. Road making alone used more than 60% of these materials with rocks, sand, and gravel for making concrete accounting for a further 19%. The economic benefit to our country is estimated at NZ$2.1 billion and approximately 10,000 jobs. For more information on aggregates visit www.aqa.org.nz

Coal……

New Zealand produced more than 5.7 million tonnes of coal in 2006 with the Huntly power station and industrial users such as the Glenbrook Steel Mill being the main users of sub-bituminous Waikato coal. Most bituminous coal from the West Coast of the South Island was exported.

Coal continues to have a wide range of uses as an industrial fuel, for making cement, and is still used as a household fuel throughout the country.

Ironsand……

Ironsand is produced at two locations by BHP New Zealand Steel, at Waikato North Head for steel-making at Glenbrook near Auckland, and at Taharoa, 140 kilometres south of Auckland for export.

Ironsand resources along the west coast of the North Island are very large (1,000 million tonnes of concentrate) and are sufficient to maintain the present level of output for several hundred years.

Industrial minerals……

The value of industrial minerals (including aggregates) produced in 2006 was about $40 million, the most valuable commodities being halloysite clay and limestone.

Halloysite is a clay minerals and the NZ China Clays operation at Matauri Bay in Northland upgrades local raw materials to produce a high quality product that is exported. Other industrial minerals find a use in every industry in New Zealand including farming, manufacturing, and mining.

Limestone is produced at many locations, with high quality material from the Te Kuiti district in the North Island being treated for a surprisingly wide range of uses that include treating water supplies, purifying effluent and making everyday products such as paint, carpet, and toothpaste.

Recent additions to the range of industrial minerals being produced include zeolite (used for deodorising and treating chemical spills) and finely ground silica, a cement additive.

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