Economic benefit

The Barrytown Mineral Project Mine will provide significant economic benefits for the Grey District and wider West Coast communities.

An economic benefits analysis prepared by Wellington-based consultancy, Sense Partners, provides an overview of the economic impacts of the proposed mine. You can read and download the report here.

Once fully operational, the mine will generate an estimated $63 million per year from the production and export of gold, garnet, ilmenite, and zircon, boosting Grey District’s exports by 46% annually.

The community will benefit from an 81% increase in mining employment and $6.6 million in wages per year – much of which will be spent locally, providing a significant boost to the West Coast economy.

Sense Partners’ report estimates the mine will create 57 directly employed jobs and 80 support jobs elsewhere in the economy, the majority of which are likely to be filled by local or regional residents. Other jobs will also be created for local mining and trucking contractors.

More than $27 million per year will be spent on mining operations, most of which will be spent locally.

Our team is also looking to develop scholarships that encourage local youth to study with, or be employed by TiGa, to work on the Barrytown Mineral Project.

Local tourism

TiGa believes there will be little to no impact on local tourism businesses – indeed there could be advantages as increased economic activity in the region will bring in more people and their families. Our products will be exported throughout the world with prominent ‘West Coast of New Zealand’ branding driving people to our website. The opening page on the website will celebrate the West Coast. This will amount to considerable free advertising of the West Coast as a destination.

We have met with local operators and the community and discussed ways we can avoid any negative impact on their activities. We are eager to have similar meetings with any other operators who approach us.