South Island escarpment and exploration terrain

Projects

Experience across New Zealand’s mineral systems

Wairiri’s work spans five broad project types plus specialist historical-mining research, with support scaled from the first geological idea through exploration, evaluation, permitting, feasibility, consenting and development.

These summaries describe Wairiri’s areas of project experience rather than individual client projects. Work programmes are designed around the geology, project stage, location and decisions that need to be made.

Tightly folded schist and quartz veining associated with structurally controlled mineralisation

Otago · West Coast

Orogenic gold and critical minerals (W & Sb)

Orogenic gold, tungsten and antimony exploration in Otago and the West Coast, integrating historic mine information with modern mapping, geochemistry, geophysics, drilling and three-dimensional geological interpretation.

Historic mine, production and exploration research
Structural mapping and geological interpretation
Rock, soil, channel and stream sampling
Scheelite identification and UV field techniques
Geochemistry, geophysics and three-dimensional target models
RC and diamond-drilling strategy, delivery and QAQC

Excavator exposing an alluvial geological section in Otago

Otago · Southland · West Coast

Alluvial gold

Alluvial gold work across the South Island’s principal goldfields, from historic research and early target generation through drilling, geological interpretation, resource definition, feasibility, consenting and mine-development support.

Historic workings, drill records and opportunity review
Aircore, sonic, test-pit and bulk-sampling programme support
Wash logging, sampling, recovery and assay-data validation
RTK collar and field-feature survey control
Geological models, resource datasets and mining concepts
Permitting, land access, feasibility and consenting support

Aircore drill rig operating on a mineral exploration programme

West Coast · Southland

Mineral sands

Mineral-sands exploration support across the West Coast and Southland, combining practical drilling and field delivery with consistent sampling, spatial control, data management and technical reporting.

Regional targeting and staged programme design
Aircore drilling and field-geology support
Lithological logging, sampling systems and QAQC
RTK GPS survey control and GIS integration
Contractor coordination and safe field delivery
Permit, database and technical reporting support

West Coast mountain and forest terrain near the Tasman Sea

West Coast · Southland

Intrusion-related mineralisation

Project generation and exploration support for intrusion-related mineral systems in the West Coast and Southland, progressing regional geological ideas into focused, testable exploration programmes.

Regional geological and metallogenic synthesis
Historic data, geochemistry and geophysics review
Mapping, sampling and target ranking
Permit-area and staged work-programme design
Access and logistics planning in challenging terrain
Drill targeting, field delivery and interpretation

Exploration · Evaluation · Development support

Coal

Coal project support connecting historic information, field investigation, drilling and geological interpretation with the permitting, technical and development work required to test a project properly.

Historic exploration and mine-data compilation
Field reconnaissance and drilling support
Seam correlation and geological interpretation
Survey, GIS and model-ready data management
Permitting, technical studies and development coordination

Historical photograph of mining at Gabriel’s Gully in Otago — Gabriel’s Gully, c.1875 — Herbert Deveril / Te Papa via Wikimedia Commons (public domain in New Zealand)

South Island · Research · GIS integration

Historical mining & archival research

Historical mining research that turns scattered reports, plans, newspapers, official records and field evidence into an auditable account of what happened, where it happened and what it means for modern exploration, heritage assessment or project planning.

AJHR, Papers Past, NZP&M open-file and mine-plan research
Historic maps, aerial photographs, survey information and local histories
Verbatim extracts, source registers, timelines and referenced appendices
Mine, water-race, working, plant and infrastructure histories
GIS location of reported workings, drill sites and historical features
Research for target generation, permit applications, archaeology and due diligence

Explore Otago gold capability →Explore West Coast capability →

Capability used across projects

GIS & dataQGIS, validation and integrated datasets

FieldworkMapping, sampling and programme delivery

RTK GPSSpatial control for field observations

ReportingPermit, technical and market material

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