New Zealand Petroleum and Minerals releases Mining Industry Statistics for 2021

Annual minerals industry statistics

These figures include a range of data on minerals production, revenue from royalties, and industry expenditure on prospecting and exploration.

This dataset is the only nation-wide compilation of data on minerals, and comprises:

• Information reported to MBIE (under statute) in relation to permits held under the Crown Minerals Act 1991 (this dataset can be considered complete), and
• Information voluntarily provided to MBIE via a survey in relation to quarries producing industrial rocks and minerals. Most of these quarries do not require a Crown minerals permit as the minerals are privately owned (this dataset is not complete).
  

It should be noted that the response rate for the Annual Return of Industrial Rocks and Industrial Minerals Output (the ‘quarry survey’) that partially underpins the data is significantly lower this year compared with previous years. The response rate was 54% for 2021, down from 83% in 2020.

This is the lowest response rate in the ten years since NZP&M have been collecting data on survey response rates, and it is estimated that privately owned minerals operations approached for this survey make up at least 70% of total active quarries in New Zealand. Furthermore, many responses received were only partial responses. This means the 2021 data will be less complete and representative compared to previous years.

Data released from the survey is anonymised so that no individual producer’s data can be identified.

There are no such issues with the information reported to MBIE under statute in relation to Crown-owned minerals.

Key findings for this year

• Total gold production saw a 0.8% decrease from last year
• Overall, alluvial gold production was up 18%
• Total government revenue from all royalties and Energy Research Levies (ERLs) was up 15.5% on 2020-21.
• Total reported aggregate and industrial minerals production were down 13% on 2020 (although due to the poor survey response this result is uncertain)
• Coal production was up 2% on 2020
• Expenditure on prospecting and exploration (minerals and coal) was up 22% on 2020

Susan Baas, National Manager Petroleum and Minerals, MBIE says: “We strongly encourage sector participants to respond to future surveys as the more responses we get, the more robust and in depth the data will be.”

This data has a range of uses, including informing and for providing assessment and scrutiny of Government policy proposals.

For further queries, you can contact MBIE’s media team at media@mbie.govt.nz