A draft list of minerals deemed essential to New Zealand’s economy and strengthening its mineral resilience has been released for consultation, Resources Minister Shane Jones said.

The draft Critical Minerals List identifies 35 minerals essential to economic functions, are in demand internationally, and face high risk of supply disruption domestically and internationally.

“Minerals underpin just about every aspect of our modern world - from the roads we drive on and the energy that keeps the lights on - to our schools, hospitals and homes,” said Jones.

“If access to some of these enabling minerals, such as aggregates to build infrastructure or phosphate to support our agricultural sector, was suddenly restricted or halted there would be serious implications for our economy."

Jones said the majority of NZ's trade partners recognise the importance of resilient mineral supply chains, yet New Zealand has never developed a comprehensive picture of its minerals needs and weaknesses.

"That is something I am correcting with the creation of the Critical Minerals List," said Jones.

“The draft list covers a range of minerals with many different applications within our economy and considers minerals that are needed internationally where New Zealand may be able to contribute to supply. It also considers risks to domestic and international supply chains, and where there is a need to build more supply resilience.”

Once finalised, the Critical Minerals List will contribute to New Zealand’s work on important international supply chains and allow the Government to investigate specific actions for securing better access to the minerals deemed critical. This could include strategies for developing specific minerals.

The draft list complements the release of a specialist geological report on New Zealand’s potential onshore and offshore mineral endowment in August. The report brings together extensive mineral deposit research, geological, geochemical, and geophysical studies and mapping.

“Together, the list and the endowment report are deliverables of the draft Minerals Strategy for New Zealand and provides us with a holistic minerals picture in terms of what we need and what we have which is all about setting our sector up to focus on the right minerals at the right time in the right places,” said Jones.

“I am focused on building the foundations of an enduring minerals sector that is delivering for our people, and to do that we need good decision-making based on robust evidence. I welcome feedback through the consultation process on the draft Critical Minerals List and look forward to releasing a finalised version before the end of the year.”

Consultation on the draft Critical Minerals List closes on October 10 2024.

Click here for more information and to make a submission.