About the project
Tāiko Critical Minerals Limited (formerly TiGa Minerals and Metals) is a New Zealand-registered company focused on developing the Barrytown Minerals Project on the West Coast.
The project will produce critical and valuable minerals including ilmenite, garnet, zircon and gold, with the wider Barrytown resource also containing rare earth elements.
Tāiko has obtained resource consents to mine and process minerals from modified pasture currently used for dairying at Barrytown, as well as to construct and operate a Mineral Separation Plant at Rapahoe. The plant will enable heavy mineral concentrate from Barrytown to be separated into value-added mineral products for export.
The project is expected to deliver significant economic benefits to the West Coast, including more than 130 direct mining and processing jobs, additional supporting employment and increased regional economic activity.
The project is projected to contribute approximately $112.5 million per year in export earnings. Tāiko continues to engage with the local community, iwi and other stakeholders, including through its Community Liaison Group.
Mining Process
The Barrytown Minerals Project will extract ilmenite, garnet, zircon and gold from mineral sands beneath private farmland at Barrytown Flats on the West Coast.
How the mining process works
Mineral-bearing material will be extracted from beneath the surface and pumped to an onsite Wet Concentration Plant (WCP).
The WCP will separate the heavy mineral concentrate from the remaining material. Gold will be recovered onsite, while the heavy mineral concentrate will be transported to Tāiko’s Mineral Separation Plant at Rapahoe for further processing into ilmenite, garnet and zircon products.
Progressive rehabilitation
Mining and rehabilitation will take place progressively as operations move across the site. Once the minerals have been extracted, the remaining material will be returned to the extraction area and the land rehabilitated to productive pasture.
Rehabilitation will include land contouring, stock fencing and native riparian planting around waterways and wetlands.
Final land levels will be managed to maintain the existing height of the seaward side of the site, helping retain its existing protection from coastal erosion.
Processing at Rapahoe
Tāiko has obtained resource consent to construct and operate a Mineral Separation Plant at Rapahoe, north of Greymouth.
Heavy mineral concentrate from Barrytown will be transported to the plant, where it will be separated into ilmenite, garnet and zircon products.
The final mineral products are intended to be transported to the ports of Timaru and/or Lyttelton for export to international customers.
Our Minerals
The Barrytown Minerals Project will produce ilmenite, garnet, zircon and gold, with the wider Barrytown resource also containing rare earth elements.
These minerals have a wide range of uses across manufacturing, construction, technology, renewable energy and medical applications.
Ilmenite is an important source of titanium, which is used in applications ranging from aerospace and medical implants to renewable energy technologies. Garnet is widely used as an industrial abrasive, while zircon is used in ceramics, manufacturing and other specialist applications. Gold has uses across electronics, technology, jewellery and investment.
The mineral products produced by Tāiko will be processed for export to international markets.
Ilmenite
An important source of titanium, valued for its strength, light weight and resistance to corrosion.
Key uses:
Aerospace
Medical implants
Renewable energy
Manufacturing
Garnet
A durable industrial mineral primarily used as an abrasive in precision cutting and surface preparation.
Key uses:
Waterjet cutting
Abrasive blasting
Industrial applications
Zircon
A versatile mineral valued for its heat resistance, durability and specialist industrial properties.
Key uses:
Ceramics
Foundry applications
Manufacturing
Technology
Gold
A highly valued mineral with a long history on the West Coast and a wide range of modern applications.
Key uses:
Electronics
Technology
Jewellery
Investment
Roadside visualisations
View north from SH6
Existing site, proposed processing plant and native riparian planting.
View south from SH6
Existing site, proposed processing plant and native planting on the proposed bund.