Waihi, New Zealand

Life in New Zealand

With a population of around 4,700 people, the town of Waihi boasts some of the most diverse and stunning natural scenery in the North Island of New Zealand. The surrounding area supports horticulture and dairy farming, and is within 90 minutes' drive of half the population of New Zealand including the major city of Auckland. The annual average rainfall is around 2.2 metres and the climate is temperate. The township lies at the northern end of an elevated basin, an ancient caldera, which is the source of the Ohinemuri River and its tributaries.

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Martha Mine

Mining in Waihi has a history that spans three centuries, with underground mining commencing at Martha Hill in 1879. By 1988, the Martha Mine open pit, operating above the historic underground workings, held its first gold pour.

Newmont began operating the mine in 2002 following the acquisition of Normandy Mining. In 2008, Newmont Waihi Gold celebrated both the 20th anniversary of the first gold pour and the pouring of 2 million ounces of gold.

Mine managers have spent the last few years assessing the feasibility of laying back the east and west walls of the Martha Mine open pit. While extending the western wall proved unfeasible, we hope to have enough information by mid-2009 to make a decision on the eastern wall layback. This would extend the mine's life another 18 to 24 months to 2012.

Favona Mine

The Favona underground mine began extracting gold and silver at the end of 2006. The decline has reached approximately 330 meters in depth and about 14.5 km of development has been completed, including the decline.

We have identified a number of promising exploration prospects, including a possible extension of the Favona ore body. Should this prove feasible, the life of the Favona operation could be extended. Currently, both Favona and Martha will operate until possibly 2011; the mill will remain open for a further six months to process the stockpiled ore.