The lion's share of Northland's minerals is in the Far North

It’s one thing to think you may be sitting on a goldmine, but it’s another to know for sure; hence the Far North District Council’s full support for aerial geophysical surveys of the district’s untapped mineral resources.

The $4.6 million GNS Science surveys will help confirm an earlier estimate that the Far North has more than $30 billion of non-metallic and metallic mineral resources with a flow-on effect worth more than $300 million annually to the district’s economy.

The Far North is known to have the lion’s share of Northland’s minerals which include industrial minerals such as china clay, silica sand, aggregate, limestone, and cement with the potential for metals such as gold-silver, aluminium or copper-gold and commodities such as coal and peat.

Northland is currently the fifth highest mineral producing region in New Zealand, and with the potential for up to $10 to be generated for every $1 spent on minerals exploration, the council regards the geophysical survey as an exciting investment in the Far North’s future.

Otago Regional Council, in conjunction with a private partner, is the only council in New Zealand to have invested in a geophysical survey which has “completely rewritten the geology of the region”, said consulting geologist Richard Barker. “Otago is very happy with its survey results.”

The Far North District Council will now investigate how it might go about funding aeromagnetic, radiometric and electromagnetic surveys, which are estimated to cost $4.6 million for the region, with the Far North meeting half the cost.

The survey involves the detailed mapping of the district’s land and its resources by fixed wing aircraft or helicopter and the resulting data has many applications, being a useful tool for minerals exploration, geological mapping, groundwater resource mapping, forestry, agriculture and horticulture investigations, and geological hazard assessment.

Far North Mayor Wayne Brown has greeted the technology with enthusiasm, saying it’s an opportunity too good to miss. “The difference between Australia and New Zealand’s gross national product comes down to minerals extraction,” he said.

“We may well be sitting on billions of dollars worth of minerals in the Far North and this is a potential we should realise in terms of the district’s growth, wealth and job creation, estimated to be as much as 1600 jobs within 15 years.

“Mining is already a profitable activity in this district and we need to build on that as part of securing a bright future for the Far North and helping its people prosper.”