Mineral placer deposits in New Zealand and Australia, together with hard-rock carbonatite systems around the Pacific, host REE-bearing minerals such as monazite and xenotime, providing a technically straightforward pathway for REE feedstock development and processing.
As new technologies accelerate, opportunities exist to expand exploration, define resources, and build long‑term partnerships with manufacturers seeking dependable rare earth inputs.
New Zealand hosts underexplored mineral systems that may contain rare earth–bearing minerals, including monazite, present within placer dunes and river gravels along the West Coast. These occurrences are known but remain at an early stage of assessment and represent a potential opportunity currently under investigation, subject to further exploration, technical evaluation, and regulatory approval.
If further investigation were to demonstrate technical and economic viability, such deposits could, over time, contribute to more diversified global supplies of rare earth–bearing materials used in permanent magnets and advanced materials. New Zealand’s geological setting, together with the potential for relatively low-impact and lower-carbon extraction approaches, suggests the country may have a prospective role within evolving critical mineral supply chains, where supply is currently concentrated.
NZ’s Dunite rocks were first identified in 1859 by a German geologist at Dun Mountain in the Nelson District. The mountain was a dun colour and largely devoid of vegetation due to its high magnesium and iron content. The rock type was subsequently named dunite and Aotearoa NZ has one of the world’s largest dunite deposits.