A decades-long mining permit has been granted paving the way for a proposed large-scale mine in the Dunstan Mountains above Lake Dunstan. 

New Zealand Petroleum and Minerals has granted a 30-year mining permit to Matakanui Gold Limited, a subsidiary of Santana Minerals, for the Rise and Shine prospect - part of the company’s Bendigo-Ophir Gold Project near Cromwell. 

The permit represents one of two key approvals the company needs before construction can begin.  

Earlier this week, the mining company lodged a separate consent application under the Fast-track Approvals Act 2024. 

Santana Minerals chief executive Damian Spring described the mining permit as “a landmark achievement” and “a strong vote of confidence in the quality and integrity of the Bendigo–Ophir Gold Project”. 

“Coming in the same week that we lodged our FTA consent application, this milestone demonstrates the project’s regional and national significance,” he said in a NZX announcement. 

“The project will deliver long-term benefits to Central Otago through the creation of hundreds of jobs, new training and supply-chain opportunities, and substantial economic returns to the Crown and local community through royalties and taxes.” 

According to Santana, the permit gives the company full legal rights to extract and process gold from the Rise and Shine deposit and adjacent sites.  

The company forecasts the Crown will receive $448M in royalties over 14 years, based on the price of gold right now, which is $32M a year on average - an increase of 2.5 times the Crown royalty on minerals received by the New Zealand Government in 2024. 

Resources Minister Shane Jones welcomed the decision, saying the permit “is a major milestone for the progression of a project that will deliver well-paid employment, infrastructure investment, and economic resilience in Central Otago”.  

“The proposed mine will directly employ 357 people and support an additional 500 jobs annually through indirect employment, with a strong focus on hiring locally.” 

Shane heralded a “golden era” for the country’s resource sector, saying New Zealand was set to benefit from the renewed global interest in gold and other metals and minerals.  

He said the Coalition Government was committed to “using the wealth beneath our feet to create regional opportunities, deliver productive jobs that develop skilled workers, bolster trade and exports, and contribute to the prosperity of our people, now and into the future”. 

Santana Minerals’ Bendigo–Ophir project is listed as a project of regional or national significance under Schedule 2 of the Fast-track Approvals Act, giving it access to an expedited consenting pathway for the remaining approvals needed for both open-cast and underground mining operations in the area. 

That application - running to nearly 9,400 pages and including 135 technical reports - is now before the government’s fast-track approvals panel, but is yet to be made public on the government’s website.

Damian said the mining permit will allow the company to "move seamlessly from permitting into construction once FTA consent is secured”. 

Read more: Santana lodges fast-track bid for Bendigo gold project 

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