Prospects for Gold in New Zealand (dd578edb-d6d0-4f51-bf6a-2cf7f9c6605a)

New Zealand has been a significant producer of gold for over a century. Total recorded production is over 850 tonnes. There were three major periods of production: the first and biggest was between 1860 and 1880, the second was between 1895 and 1920 and the third was between 1930 and 1945. After 1945 gold production fell continually until 1980 when the major upward adjustment in gold price led to renewed interest. There have been important new developments in each of the known gold-rich areas: Westland, Otago and Coromandel and exploration for gold in these areas and in previously unprospected regions has reached unprecedented levels. In Westland over 140 gold processing plants are each producing between two and six ounces a day from low-grade placers. A major gold dredging operation will soon be producing over a tonne of gold annually and other new dredges are proposed. There are still vast reserves of gold-bearing gravels in Westland and prospecting is continuing to reveal new resources. In the Reefton area there is renewed interest in gold-bearing quartz reefs which were the source of over a million ounces of gold between 1900 and 1951. New large opencast reserves are now defined.