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In an industry that is data-hungry and increasingly international in its outlook, the role of the New Zealand Government in facilitating exploration and mining activity here presents unique challenges. All things being equal, the Regime itself should result in æefficient outcomesÆ, however central to this rational economic tenet are the assumptions that the regime is in keeping with the times, other legislation works in tandem with it, and that those who administer the regime have the knowledge and experience to apply the rules wisely. Following the Crown Minerals review in late 2003, a shift in emphasis from Crown Minerals æmanaging the ActÆ towards proactively æmanaging the mineral estateÆ for greater benefit for all New Zealanders means that these assumptions are being increasingly challenged and addressed through a variety of initiatives. These include improved access to relevant data sets, minimisation of red tape and compliance costs, increasing emphasis on permit holder compliance with work programme obligations, changes to the Minerals Programme and regulations, closer collaboration with and representation to other government departments and councils, and additional recruitment of industry-experienced staff. This presentation will highlight aspects of these initiatives, and examine how they will collectively contribute to facilitating future exploration and mining activity in New Zealand.

Jan 1, 2004

Risk management for resources and reserves includes examining the fundamental processes of data collection, interpretation, modelling and estimation. Newmont Australia has developed a procedures manual to assist mine sites to build Resource block models, estimate Ore Reserves, validate the outcome and report the results. An audit scheme has been developed to compliment the procedures manual by assessing the degree of site compliance with recommended practice. A score of between one and five stars is awarded to each site depending on its performance in the audit. Audits are undertaken by a team of three Newmont personnel over a three to five day period at each site. Scores are ultimately compared between sites and reviewed annually. The objective of the program is to encourage continuous improvement in the modelling, estimation, validation and reporting practices used at sites and in advanced projects. The scheme provides a method of risk management for the companyÆs biggest asset û its Ore Reserves. Newmont Mining Corporation is preparing to use the audit scheme internationally in part to conform with recent legislation requiring US companies to demonstrate that management systems and procedures are in place to monitor and verify the companyÆs assets.

Jan 1, 2003

Studies of the morphology of seamounts within the Hawaiian, Line Islands, Gilbert and Phoenix Seamount groups indicate that the morphology and size distribution of seamounts vary significantly from one seamount group to another. The Line Islands group appears to be the most complicated of all the groups studied thus far. This group is complicated by reactivation of volcanism, which has superimposed volcanics on sedimentary rocks. These seamounts display abundant volcanic features on their summits. Seamounts within the Hawaiian seamount chain display a marked absence of volcanic features due to the . presence of thick carbonate caps. Reef platforms and sealevel benches are very common on these seamounts but are absent from seamounts in most other seamount chains in the central Pacific. Slope angles vary regionally between seamount groups. The minimum slopes are found on Necker Ridge in the central Pacific basin. The maximum slopes are found on ridge-crest seamounts. Roughness increases proportionally with mean slope angle.

Jan 1, 1987

Mining is claimed to be unique among industries owing to its dependence on exploration for its existence, the need to operate in remote, inhospitable areas, the vast capital sums required for development, the need to pay royalties regardless of profitabil- ity, the wide swings in prices for many of its products, the finite life of each-mineral deposit, its susceptibility to criticism by environmentalists, its dependence on export markets and sensitivity to' cost and exchange rate fluctuations, the uncertainties inherent in most mining legislation, pressures to grant mineral rights to aboriginal communities and the burden of having to finance its own infrastructure. The special problems of the industry have been recognised in the income tax laws which, generally speaking, allow for the deduction of all capital expenditure before tax is payable. Notable exceptions to this rule are the absence of special deductions for mineral processing facilities and the absence of any deductions for a large part of the expenditure on ports and port towns. The scope and extent of infrastructure expenditure is discussed. The consequences of the burden imposed on the industry include tax inequity, higher capital and operating costs, "high grading" and

Jan 1, 1974

There is a link between the requirements of society and the determination of curricula in tertiary educational institutions. Mineral resources exploration provides a strong example of this link. The resources exploration business engages in scientific, engineering, commercial and management activities in an endeavour to discover economically extractable commodities. Most geoscience and geotechnical graduates are employed by the mineral industry for resource exploration and development. This industry comprises a wide range of employer groups which include the Bureau of Mineral Resources, CSIRO, energy authorities, State geological surveys, State water commissions and private companies. Such employers are variously charged with the task of understanding and utilising earth resources to the benefit of society. It follows therefore, that undergraduate education and post-graduate specialization should be directed towards meeting the needs of employer groups in the geoscientific and geotechnical fields. In the past the training of most Australian geologists has emphasised classical science. This type of training remains of primary importance in the early undergraduate years but there is a need for modern educators to recognise the increased desirability for the inclusion of geotechnical subjects in the curriculum. Modern geo-education should address four main sectors when deciding curricula:

Jan 1, 1986

By Borsaru M

The production of high-grade calcined bauxite is very dependent on the moisture content of the final product. Existing procedures rely on the ignition of small samples to monitor the effectiveness of the calcination process. The results obtained by this gravimetric technique are several hours behind production and do not permit regular adjustment of the furnace to optimize the control of the chemically bound water content (LOI).To provide rapid and hence more relevant results, a neutron moderation technique has been developed for measuring the LOI of bulk samples of calcined bauxite while they are still hot. The method uses fast neutrons from an 241 Am-Be neutron source to irradiate the samples, and the backscattered thermal neutrons detected are a measure of bound moisture content.The rms deviation between neutron and conventional determinations of LOI, in 15 calcined bauxite samples, was 0.08 per cent LOI over the range 0.1 to 0.9 per cent LOI. When allowance is made for the rms error in the ignition method, the error in the neutron method is found to be 0.07 per cent LOI.

Jan 1, 1985

Major changes occurred in the management of loss prevention and risk management at operations in North and South America due to increased insurance premiums following the Olympic Dam fire in Australia in 2001. There are many different scenarios on how fires can develop and the estimated maximum losses (EML) those fires can incur. The EML is utilised by insurance companies to determine the cost of insurance premiums. The cost of insurance can be controlled at existing and newly designed solvent extraction (SX) plants by using risk reduction methods and design criteria to limit the fire exposure. A review of data collected during several loss prevention risk assessments can show how a budget can be protected from dramatically increased premiums and see which design of SX plant and fire protection standards best apply to your operations. The paper will investigate the pitfalls of existing materials of construction, capacity, geography, management practices, fire risk minimisation, and fire suppression systems. Intelligent engineering and managerial improvements implemented by the operations in the Americas in the past two years have further minimised the fire potential and benefited companies in insurance renewal negotiations.

Jan 1, 2003

By R C. Owen, M A. Ward

The paper describes the application of New Zealand's environmental impact assessment procedures to a proposed gold and silver mine in the North Island of New Zealand. The project is described and a summary is provided of the statutory permits or consents that are required prior to operation of the project. Emphasis is given to the requirement for environmental impact assessment and the preparation of a formal environmental impact report. The company's approach to impact assessment is described, with examples of how this assessment and the identification of management alternatives influenced the engineering design of the project. This paper was prepared as a contribution to a working session of the International Association of Impact Assessment VII Annual Conference, July 1988.

Jan 1, 1988

By Goldie R

The use of options theory in business has become well established in recent years and is currently one of the most exciting areas of current finance research. The theory can be used to value levered firms, and streams of contingent payments. This technique also has very practical applications in the areas of capital investment analysis and the valuation of equities in the natural resource industry. The use of options theory has been well accepted and used for many years in the trading of commodity options and futures contracts, in banking and insurance and in other industries. It also can be used to value such diverse contingent claims problems as the income tax liabilities of the firm and share underwriting agreements.Its application to the more complex options, such as those present in the resource industry, is only now becoming known. This lag is, at least partially, due to the difficult mathematics involved in solving complex options problems. Another factor is the almost overwhelming abundance of uncertainties, such as grade, tons and other natural risks, which must be considered in the evaluation mining projects.

Jan 1, 1990

The purpose, basic data requirements and various analysis/modelling tools employed for geomechanical evaluation of mine-site conditions are overviewed. The impact and application of computer technology are dis- cussed. Broad guidelines and criteria are presented for establishment of a practical geomechanics data-base system to yield infor- mation suitable for mine design purposes. Future needs of the Australian mining in- dustry are examined.

Jan 1, 1983

By Roderick W. F

The equipment and procedures used for green pellet production on a laboratory scale are given, together with a description of the straight grate pellet strand analogue which has been developed to examine the response of various ore types to heat hardening. The capabilities of the analogue are illustrated with data obtained from the balling and drying studies using a manganese ore. Differences in inter-batch pellet quality are discussed, and method of minimising the experimental error that can arise from these differences is Presented.

Jan 1, 1974

By R Simonato

It is now recognised that rotary sample division is by far the best laboratory tool for extracting subsamples from a lot of material. In terms of sampling theory, rotary division, by virtue of the fact that it can extract many increments from the lot during the division process, radically reduces the variance due to distributional heterogeneity in the sample being divided. There are a number of occasions in sample preparation when it is necessary to extract a subsample of a target mass. To do this with rotary dividers taking a fixed fraction of the starting mass is a tedious task. In response to this problem, a variable split sample divider has been designed and built for the mineral industry. This paper discusses the utility of the device and presents test data showing that the machine is capable of making accurate mass split while overcoming segregation in the material being divided.

Jan 1, 2008

By Thomas E. G

In the economic evaluation of any Australian mining project, changes in taxation can significantly affect viability. Australian tax laws, particularly in the period since early 1973, have undergone many changes which have led to shifts in the profitability of mining companies. This paper examines the sensitivity of a selected, broadly based sample of Australian mining companies to the changes that have occurred, or are reasonably likely to occur, in taxation legislation. In the past, tax systems have been altered for a variety of reasons, such as 1. reduction'in the impact of inflation 2. neutralization of incidence between different sections of the economy 3. as an incentive to encourage expansion and growth in a particular industry or area, and 4. increase in the real "take" of government. In this paper, conventional rate of return analyses are applied in a study of how profitability is affected under various taxation systems.

Jan 1, 1977

By Smith I. K

A Data Acquisition System with a capacity to monitor 2000 analog instruments has been installed at the mines operated by the Zinc Lorporation, Limited and New broken hill Consolidated Limited (ZC/LVbHC), New South Wales, Australia. Since commissioning in March, 1982, the system has proved its value in providing up-to-date information to both Rock Mechanics and Mining personnel. The paper describes the function of the major software and hardware components of the system, and identifies the advantages that an on-line monitoring system provides in the day-to-day operation of a large underground mine.

Jan 1, 1983

The activiltion of sphalerite with electrolytically generated copper ions from a copper electrode instead of the usual practice of the addition of copper sulphate was studied in the laboratory. A large surface area of copper was provided by lining three sides of a bench flotation cell with copper sheeting. The lining was connected to the positive terminal of a low voltage d.c. source, and the cell impeller to the negative terminal.Sphalerite was effectively activated by this arrangement and was subsequently floated using xanthate as the collector.Flotation results comparable to those obtained with 1 lb/ton CuS04.5H20 (0,255 lb/ton copper) were obtained using 0·1062 lb/ton of electrolytic copper and 0·488 kWh of electrical energy. The wastage of copper due to the formation of insoluble precipitates was found to be dependent on the length of time the current was passed. Maximum current was passed for the shortest time to minimize wastage.

Jan 1, 1973

By Butcher NM, Walker GS

Argyle Diamond Mines Pty. Limited (ADM), manager and operator of the Argyle Diamond Mines Joint Venture (ADMJV) will recruit approximately 400 employees during 1985 to operate the new large-scale, open-cut diamond mine and treatment plant being developed at Argyle, in the East Kimberley Region of Western Australia. These employees will live in Perth or environs and will commute to work at Argyle via chartered jet aircraft. On site, they will be accommodated in self-contained single person's quarters, with central messing and recreational facilities. Rostering systems have not been finalised, but it is likely employees will rotate through a cycle of 14 days at site and seven-days on leave in Perth. ADM spent three years evaluating residen- tial options before deciding to commute its workforce from Perth. Another 70 senior staff will reside in Kununurra (the nearest established town, 250 km from Argyle) and commute to the mine daily by air.

Jan 1, 1984

A resource rent taxation scheme is based on the concept of taxing the rent or surplus profit generated from primary industry activity. Rent has been defined as profits that remain after deduction of company income which corresponds to the minimum return necessary to attract private investment to a new project.Rent taxation schemes on the mining industry within the Australasian region have been examined and widely discussed during the decades of the 1970s and 1980s. Forms of resource rent taxation schemes have been imposed on Papua New Guinea mining, some sectors of Australian petroleum, the Roxby Downs venture and are being discussed for the New South Wales coal industry. While no introduced applications have been pure rent taxation schemes, the concept has generally come to encompass arrangements which tax rent at a partial rate which may or may not vary with the level of profitability or return.An examination is made of a number of the more recent schemes. Aspects which should be considered in implementation of new forms of this taxation are discussed. It is concluded that there is an increased acceptance for this form of taxation on the Australian mining industry.

Jan 1, 1990

A feasibility study will fail its objective if it does not identify and then correctly assess, all the risks which could have a substantial impact on the financial viability of a project. Before this assessment can be undertaken, one needs to understand the risk profile of the entity which is making the decision about the project. Some of the commonly encountered issues when assessing project risk are related to the problem of not being able to see the wood for the trees. In any risk analysis it is important that conservatism does not strangle a viable project; that the variables are internally consistent with each other, that reality checks are carried out and that appropriate expertise is used. Sensitivity analysis forms a part of the overall project risk assessment; however, it can only test those variables which have already been identified in the financial model. The most useful tool in performing a sensitivity analysis is Monte Carlo simulation. When properly used, it provides a more real world scenario than the simple adjustment of key variables by ¦ 10 per cent one at a time. Monte Carlo can provide valuable information about the robustness of a project. Project risk and sensitivity assessment is prone to the analysis paralysis syndrome. The focus should be on quality rather than quantity.

Jan 1, 1997

The purpose of this paper is to provide some practical commercial advice in relation to issues of access and trespass during exploration. It is not my intention to provide a detailed analysis of the applicable law because this is not the appropriate forum for latin maxims and turgid case studies. Instead I will explain the issues in sufficient detail to enable those who are not familiar,with the legal concepts to understand their obligations and responsibilities in relation to exploration activities. Take as an example a situation where a company (for the sake of attempted light relief, called Rogue Mining) holds an exploration tenement adjacent to one held by Lamb Exploration. In conducting aerial exploration activities over its own tenement Rogue overflies the tenement held by Lamb, doesn't turn off its equipment and accidentally collects data in respect of the adjacent land. In analysing that data it becomes apparent to Rogue that there is a substantial anomaly on the adjacent land of which Lamb is apparently unaware. Rogue subsequently negotiates to purchase an interest in Lamb's tenement.

Jan 1, 1995

By Restarick CJ

The development of mathematical relationships to describe grinding in continuous rod and ball mills has involved two methods of approach and has resulted in two main types of "model." The first which has been used for full scale grinding systems has depended on the analysis of, for example, the effect of change in solids feed rate on the changes in overall size distribution which the feed undergoes to become the product as a result of passage through the mill operated under steady conditions. The resultant mathematical relationships are of matrix form and do not include any description of the flow characteristics of the systems. The second approach has made extensive use of a technique in which a "pulse" of selected tracer mineral, of chosen

Jan 1, 1970