Mining (New Zealand)

Types of mining

Here is a list of some of the minerals that are mined in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Coal mining: began in the 1840s in New Zealand. There are coal mines in Northland, Waikato, Taranaki, the West Coast of the South Island, and Otago.

Gold mining: first began with the discovery of gold in the Coromandel in 1852. Today there are gold mines in operation at Waihī on the Coromandel Peninsula and Macraes Flat in Otago.

Iron and steel mining: started in the 1850s. Most iron is turned into steel. There is a steel mill at Glenbrook near Auckland.

Marine: minerals such as ironsands, manganese, and rock phosphate are examples of marine minerals. There is manganese in the Campbell Plateau, phosphate in the Chatham Rise and sulphide in the Kermadec volcanic area to the north of New Zealand.

Oil and gas: mining began in 1865 in Moturoa on the New Plymouth foreshore. The Maui gas and oil field, off Taranaki's coast, was the biggest find in 1969.

Stone quarrying: means digging for stones. Limestone, marble, and volcanic rock such as basalt and Hinuera stone are examples of stones that are quarried. Marble is quarried at Tākaka and limestone is quarried at Ōamaru.

History of mining

These websites will lead you to reliable sources of information about the history of mining in Aotearoa New Zealand and the benefits of mining to the economy.

Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand

Te Ara is an excellent starting point for all questions about Aotearoa New Zealand. If we look down to the bottom of the page, we can see that the website belongs to the Ministry for Culture & Heritage, so the information is well-researched and reliable.

• Go down the page to the section called Earth, Sea and Sky to find Mineral Resources.

• Explore each of the stories to read about the history of mining gold, oil, gas, iron, coal, stone and other minerals in Aotearoa.

• For example, the story Gold and gold mining covers the gold rush period, methods of mining, goldfields in Otago and the Coromandel, and Gold and the economy.

• Pounamu — jade or greenstone is about the origins of pounamu and its significance to Māori.

• Read Iron and Steel to find out about The steel industry and Steel products in New Zealand.

New Zealand Petroleum & Minerals

New Zealand Petroleum & Minerals (NZP&M) is part of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE). Their duty is to create laws around prospecting, exploring and mining in New Zealand. The website also covers the history of mining minerals and petroleum in New Zealand.

• The tab New Zealand's mining and petroleum industry links to Petroleum that covers the history of petroleum in New Zealand.

• Under Minerals, you will find information on Gold fossicking and the history of minerals and coal since 1840.

• Value and benefits explains how minerals and petroleum are important for New Zealand's economic growth and economy.

Tips: We like sites like this because they’re reliable. You can tell because of their web address – they have either .govt or .ac, meaning they are from government or educational organisations. They’re also New Zealand sites, so relevant for us.

Department of Conservation (DOC)

The Department of Conservation (DOC for short) is the government website about preserving the natural and historical sites of New Zealand. You can see it’s a government site by looking at the About us link at the top of the page.

• Enter the keyword 'mining' into the search box.

• Explore the links to Mining - general: New Zealand historic heritage topics, Mining - gold: New Zealand historic heritage conservation and Mining - coal: New Zealand historic heritage conservation.

• You will find DOC-managed mining heritage sites about the history of mining in New Zealand.

• Watch the video Scheelite mining: Meet the locals to learn about scheelite and its importance.

Tips: Search words, or keywords, are the most important words in our question. You can leave out small words like ‘the’ and ‘of’ and just choose the main ones, eg mining. We can always change our keywords or add more if we need to.

Straterra

Straterra represents the mining sector in Aotearoa. They ensure central and local governments understand the value of mining, and ensure that mining carried out in New Zealand is socially and environmentally responsible. The website gives an overview of mining in Aotearoa.

• Explore Mining in NZ to read what is mining.

• This has explanations of terms like open cast mining, open cut mining, seabed mining and alluvial mining.

• Economics has information about the importance of mining to the New Zealand economy.

• Go to Environment to understand how the minerals sector is working towards sustainable development.

Tips: Websites that have .com or .co in the address can have good information, but you need to assess how reliable it is. Check the About us link on the website, if you can find one. That can tell you what the company’s mission and values are.

Environmental impact

Use these websites to read about the impact of mining on land, water, habitats, and air.

Department of Conservation (DOC)

This government department is responsible for the conservation and preservation of our natural and heritage sites and has information on the impacts of mining on the environment.

• Enter the search words 'seabed mining' to read Seabed mining decision.

• In 2018 the Taranaki/Whanganui Conservation Board stopped a decision to undertake seabed mining off the coast of South Taranaki because of concerns about the risk to marine life and marine environment.

Ministry for the Environment

This agency is the government's main advisor on rules and regulations around environmental issues.

• Try the word 'mining' in the search box, then select Story under Type.

• Read Cleaning up Tui Mine.

• The story is about one of New Zealand's most contaminated sites and the project to make it safe again.

Tips: Department of Conservation and Ministry for the Environment are Government agencies. Both deal with environmental issues and how the government has helped with a solution.

Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research

Landcare Research is responsible for using research to support New Zealand to develop a sustainable relationship with our land.

• Enter the words 'mining impact' into the search box.

• Select Minimising environmental impacts of mining to read factsheets on the effects of coal mines on aquatic environments, and preventing mining from contaminating streams.

Tips: Websites that have .com or .co in the address can have good information, but you need to assess how reliable it is. Check the About us link on the website, if you can find one. That can tell you what the company’s mission and values are.

Forest & Bird

This organisation is about protecting wildlife on land and in the sea. You will find some articles about the impacts of mining on wildlife and the environment.

• Search for 'seabed mining' and look through the results for Seabed Mining about the threat to the ocean in Taranaki.

• Search for 'coal mining' to read No new coal mines for a safe climate and New endangered species at risk from coal mining.

Tips: Try using speech marks around your search terms to find results that use that exact wording eg "seabed mining".

New Zealand Environmental Guide

This site has information to help people, communities and businesses to take part in processes about the environment.

• The search word 'mining' will lead to a page on Terrestrial Mining.

• Find out about impacts of mining on freshwater and the impacts of gravel mining on freshwater.

• Go to Mining Methods to read about the key stages of mining and its impacts on the environment.

Tips: Websites that have .org or .net in the address can have good information, but you need to assess how reliable it is. Check the About us link on the website, if you can find one. That can tell you what the organisation’s mission and values are.

Mining disasters

Aotearoa has had quite a few mining disasters, the most recent being the Pike River mine disaster on 19 November 2010. The websites below will guide you to the history of mining disasters and why they happened.

NZ History

NZ History is a great website for information about New Zealand Aotearoa. If we go all the way down the page we can see that the website belongs to the Ministry for Culture & Heritage, so the information is well-researched and reliable.

• Use the search word 'mining' in the search box.

• Select mining to find articles on the Pike River mine disaster, Kaitangata mining disaster, Brunner mine disaster and more.

• Remember to explore the External links found at the end of the page.

Tips: Many web pages have links to further information or to other recommended sites. Following these links is a great way to find out more.

DigitalNZ

DigitalNZ is a search site that focuses on New Zealand history and brings together results from lots of different websites such as New Zealand libraries, museums, universities and government sites all at once. It is a good place to find primary sources.

• The keywords 'mining disasters' will bring up images, videos, audio, newspapers, and articles on mining accidents and disasters in Aotearoa.

• Go to images to see a memorial to the Ralph's Mine disaster, or watch the video Then Again - Strongman Mine.

Books

You will find lots of books on mining in the public library or school library. Here are a few books to help you begin your search for books on mining in Aotearoa New Zealand.

• Gold!: the journal of Mary Brogan, Otago, 1862 by Pauline Cartwright.

• The gold rushes by Kevin Boon.

• Tragedy at Pike River Mine: how and why 29 men died by Rebecca Macfie.

• Rush to riches: kauri and gold by Gordon Ell.

• Golden prospects: Chinese on the West Coast of New Zealand by Julia Bradshaw.

SCIS no: 5474962