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New Zealand had no national minerals strategy or critical minerals list prior to this launch. The January 2025 package introduced two complementary instruments in tandem:
The Strategy establishes the government's overarching framework for the mineral sector through to 2035. Its core objective is to transform New Zealand into a significant contributor to global critical mineral supply chains, with a headline target of doubling mineral exports to NZD 3 billion by 2035 (from approximately NZD 1.2 billion/year as of June 2023 — a figure dominated by gold and metallurgical coal).
The Strategy rests on four pillars: 1. Resource understanding — expanding geological knowledge of the NZ mineral estate, including offshore and under-explored onshore tenements. 2. Regulatory efficiency — streamlining permitting under the Crown Minerals Act 1991 and the Resource Management Act to reduce project lead times for strategic minerals. 3. Investment attraction — positioning NZ as a stable, Five-Eyes-aligned jurisdiction for strategic minerals investment. 4. Workforce and capability — building domestic geoscience and processing skills pipeline.
The accompanying Critical Minerals List identifies 37 minerals whose supply disruption would pose material risks to New Zealand's economy, national security, or technology needs. It is the first statutory-type enumeration of such minerals in NZ policy.
Key features:
draft (35 minerals): gold and metallurgical coal were added in recognition that together they represent approximately 80% of current NZ mineral export revenues.
or assessed by Wood Mackenzie as having domestic production potential, giving NZ a high ratio of potential self-supply relative to most peer CRM lists.
as global supply-chain conditions evolve.
The Strategy was coordinated through:
Beehive press release cited).
evidence base for the 37-mineral list.
at the Waihi launch event.
or CRM list; this fills the Five-Eyes gap (US, UK, Canada, Australia all had prior CRM frameworks filed in this register).
with US, UK, Australian, and Canadian CRM frameworks, signalling NZ as a preferred supplier for allied nations' battery, defence, and technology supply chains.
pillar is intended to unlock delayed projects in gold (Waihi Extension), tungsten (W Resources), and offshore mineral prospects.
would represent a 150% increase over the 2023 baseline; achieving it requires material capex inflows from allied-nation or multilateral funders.
early champion; OceanaGold is the dominant NZ gold producer and has announced expansion capex contingent on regulatory clarity.
policy instruments (permitting reforms, strategic project designations, bilateral mineral MoUs) will be anchored.
diplomacy track — Australia–US Critical Minerals Framework (2025-10-20-us-australia-critical-minerals-framework) and US–Japan Critical Minerals Framework (2025-10-27-us-japan-critical-minerals-framework) are the structural precursors.
NZ-origin mineral exports in trade-document systems (HS codes, preferential tariff qualification under CPTPP, PACER Plus, ANZFTA).
Minerals Act) will likely reference the List for allocation of exploration permit priority areas.
(peer to CRMA Art. 7 or Canada Critical Minerals Infrastructure Fund) under subsequent subordinate instruments.
polymetallic nodule and seafloor massive sulphide potential — not addressed in this Strategy but within scope of the List.
reviews, given that peer CRM lists (US, EU, UK) generally exclude gold as not supply-constrained.