Westland Mineral Sands (WMS) has released details of a proposed new processing project aimed at creating more jobs and keeping more value from West Coast minerals here in New Zealand.
The project will be led by WMS Chief Development Officer Tim Chase, who brings more than 30 years of international mining experience across mineral sands, rare earths, and hard rock mining operations.
Chase says the company is advancing plans to further refine West Coast mineral sands locally rather than exporting Heavy Mineral Concentrate (HMC) in its current form.
“This project is about creating more value here on the Coast. By introducing value-add processing, we can increase the value of our product by four to five times, create skilled regional jobs, and build resilience and sustainability into the business in commodity markets that do change.”
The proposal includes a commercial-scale flotation and dry mineral separation facility at Buller South, along with onsite laboratory facilities that will ensure onshore testing and generate Intellectual Property (IP) in our sector. The facility could be operating within 18 months.
The value-add mineral separation plant (MSP) would be fed concentrate ore from across WMS mineral permits, before being packaged locally for export to diverse markets globally. Products separated through the plant are expected to include ilmenite, rutile, zircon, garnet, rare earth elements, and construction sand. These are widely consumed globally, however very few such mines are situated so close to established infrastructure such as the Buller Port and Westport airport.
Advancing New Zealand’s critical mineral capabilities will be a concerted effort across the regions as IP is built, owned, and operated. Improving final products and project resilience will support our critical minerals industry growth with a global outreach into markets and end-product manufacturing.
The project would generate local engineering contracts and create around 40–45 high-value construction and full-time operational roles, with average salaries above $100,000.
Mr Chase most recently spent eight years as General Manager Global Operations for Astron Corporation in the mineral sands and rare earth sector. Prior to that, he held senior operational and management roles with Bemax – Cristal Mining in New South Wales including Registered Production Manager and Mine Manager at the Snapper and Ginkgo mineral sands operations.
His career has included projects across Africa, America, and Asia, covering mine development, operations, approvals, marketing and supply-chain initiatives for heavy mineral and rare earth products.
“This is about building long-term capability for the West Coast and ensuring New Zealand captures more value from its critical minerals resources. We remain committed to responsible development and working closely with local communities, iwi, and government,” says Chase.
The first phase of the project will involve establishing the project team and ordering key long-lead processing equipment to support timely delivery of the development.
WMS has applied for support funding through the Government’s Regional Infrastructure Fund and will provide further updates as the project progresses.
