New Zealand courts miners as gold output set to double

Record gold prices are dragging New Zealand’s mining sector out of long decline, and Wellington is moving faster to approve projects that could double gold output by the mid-2030s. The gamble is bigger than one commodity: more exports and regional jobs on one side, sharper environmental resistance and a clash with the country’s clean-green brand on the other.

New Zealand Petroleum and Minerals said 2025 was a record year for minerals permitting, with 551 applications received, 521 decisions made and 178 new permits granted. Of those new permits, 163 targeted gold, and about 100 were for prospecting and exploration rather than actual mining. The surge is already reshaping rural land use, with 36 gold-targeting permits approved in Otago, 18 in Southland and 68 on the West Coast.

The government has cast the revival as part of a broader growth strategy. Resources Minister Shane Jones launched New Zealand’s Minerals Strategy and Critical Minerals List on January 31, 2025, setting a goal of lifting mineral export earnings to NZ$3 billion by 2035 from an existing industry that earns about NZ$1.46 billion and supports more than 5,000 regional jobs. The strategy says the sector could support more than 7,000 regional jobs by 2035, a promise aimed squarely at a weak economy, where unemployment is near a decade high and business confidence remains subdued.

Jones also said in March 2025 that a large-scale mining operation was on track to begin commercial production in 2026, with the potential to create 250 local jobs and contribute NZ$350 million toward the export target. Reuters has said New Zealand gold production could double by the mid-2030s and reach its highest level in at least three decades if two approved projects proceed and a third wins final clearance. OceanaGold is among the companies positioned to benefit if permitting keeps moving.

But the speed-up comes with clear political cost. Environmental groups and parts of the agricultural sector argue that a larger mining footprint could damage the pristine image behind tourism and export branding, including the long-running “100 percent Pure” message. The November 7 election could sharpen that debate further, while the fate of one controversial project still awaiting final approval will test how far New Zealand is willing to lean into extraction to secure growth.