Mananui Mineral Sand Mining

Mananui Westland Mineral Sands

Westland Mineral Sands Co. Limited (WMSC) are applying for all resource consents necessary to undertake mineral sands mining and processing to obtain ilmenite, garnet, gold and other minerals over an area of approximately 112ha of land owned by WMS Land Co. Ltd. The activities will seek to produce a heavy mineral concentrate for export.

The site is located at 713 Ruatapu Road, State Highway Six, Mananui and is legally described as Lot 3 DP 366769 BLK VII Mahinapua Survey District. The land is covered by Mining Permit MP 60508.

The site is currently used for dry stock grazing and dairy support and is modified farmland located adjacent to State Highway 6 at Mananui. There are natural inland wetlands and forest bordering the site to the east and a Department of Conservation ecological reserve to the South.

The mining operation involves extracting mineral sand ore from a mining strip area, pumping the ore to a processing plant located on the western side of the site, extracting the heavy mineral concentrate and returning the un-mineralised sand to the mining void. Mining will progress in strips across the site generally in a north-south orientation, starting in the southwest and progressing northward.

The onsite processing, buildings and facilities will be located within a 4.4ha envelope along the western boundary of the site adjacent to State Highway 6, proposed buildings will have a total footprint of appropriately 3860m2, including a Wet Concentrator Plant being (17m in height and 2000m2).

The proposed mining, processing and trucking operation will occur 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The heavy mineral concentrate will be transported off the site to the Port of Greymouth for direct export.

A 16-year consent term is sought, mining is proposed to take approximately 10 years. Rehabilitation works will occur on a progressive basis to minimise the area disturbed at any one time as operations move through the mining area, including at final closure of the site the creation of an ecological reserve approximately 28.45ha in area in the eastern application area.

This application is currently open for submissions. Submissions CLOSE at 5pm on Wednesday 2 April 2025.