Aggregate and Sand have been included on the first New Zealand Government’s Critical Minerals List, which identifies minerals essential to the country’s economy and technological needs, including clean energy and international trade.
Welcoming the “important” inclusions of ‘Aggregate and Sand’ on the landmark NZ Critical Minerals List, Wayne Scott, CEO of AQA (Aggregate & Quarry Association) & MinEx (the health and safety organisation for New Zealand’s mining and extractive industries), said: “It is important that aggregate and sand are on the critical minerals list as this will influence strategy and policy decisions by central and local Government. NZ does not have the ability to import aggregates at scale due to limited port infrastructure and long cartage distances to many of the markets. Therefore, local aggregate (rock and sand) resources throughout the country must be identified, protected and effectively managed to build resilient new infrastructure and homes.
“As an example of government policy driven by the critical minerals list, the recently passed Fast Track Approvals Act is important as it is a ‘one-stop-shop’ for applications requiring multiple consents from different government departments. This Bill will be more enabling so that resource consents are quicker to obtain and are less costly. Where appropriate planning zones and controls exist, the time and cost of obtaining consent for a quarry can be extremely long. Even a favourable decision can take three to five years before a quarry produces its first tonne of aggregate.”
New Zealand’s first Critical Minerals List includes 37 minerals listed below in alphabetical order.
Aggregate & Sand
Aluminium
Antimony
Arsenic
Beryllium
Bismuth
Boron
Cesium
Chromium
Cobalt
Copper
Fluorspar
Gallium
Germanium
Gold
Graphite
Indium
Magnesium
Manganese
Metallurgical coal
Molybdenum
Nickel
Niobium
Phosphate
Platinum Group Metals
Potassium (Potash)
Rare Earth Elements
Rubidium
Selenium
Silicon
Strontium
Tellurium
Titanium
Tungsten
Vanadium
Zinc
Zirconium
A New Zealand Government statement read: “Minerals are essential to modern economies; their use in key industries and products supports economic growth and stability, national security, and technological advancement. In New Zealand, we produce many of the minerals we need, such as aggregate for roading and construction. We also import minerals as raw materials or within products, such as those used for clean technology, electronics, aviation, and medical equipment.
“Developing a list of critical minerals is an important first step to ensuring a secure supply of the minerals we need for our economic growth and resilience. The list identifies the minerals that are economically important and vulnerable to supply risk or essential to unlocking other critical minerals.”
The New Zealand Critical Minerals List provides a basis for strategic actions to support secure mineral supply chains in New Zealand and overseas, strengthen the nation’s relationships with international partners, and help ensure the country achieves the Minerals Strategy for New Zealand to 2040 goal of doubling minerals exports to $3 billion by 2035.
The New Zealand Government will explore strategic pathways and wider system settings to support the development and supply of the minerals on the list that are, or can be, produced in New Zealand. For the minerals on the list that New Zealand doesn’t produce, the Government says it will engage with international partners to support supply chain resilience.
The list was informed by an analysis undertaken by Wood Mackenzie (a global research and consultancy firm) in consultation with stakeholders. The analysis considered minerals that are economically important to New Zealand and/or in demand by our international partners and are vulnerable to international or domestic supply disruptions.
Through public consultation, submitters provided constructive feedback and insights, including advocating for gold, coal, lithium, garnet, alumina, sulphur, silver, and several other minerals to be included on the list. However, most of these minerals were not included as they did not meet the supply risk threshold for being added to the list.
In addition to the list recommended by Wood Mackenzie, the NZ Cabinet also decided to include gold and metallurgical coal because of their importance to New Zealand’s economy and to achieving our goal of doubling mineral exports by 2035. Both are vital to New Zealand’s mining sector and enable the exploration and development of other critical minerals.
