Overview
Client: Westland Mineral Sands Co. Ltd
Location: Nine Mile, Cape Foulwind, West Coast
Project Type: Heavy mineral sand mining (garnet, ilmenite, titanium oxide)
The Nine Mile Mine operation extracts heavy mineral concentrate from the Okari sand dunes near Westport. Over five years, Westland Mineral Sands secured resource consent and established efficient, 24/7 processing extracting high-value minerals for domestic and global markets. The site features real-time monitoring (SCADA), advanced instrumentation, and sustainable tailings management, with recent upgrades demonstrating best practice environmental and operational stewardship.
Kōmanawa’s Involvement
Kōmanawa began work at Nine Mile with a comprehensive hydrological investigation, establishing baseline hydrology, groundwater, and water quality monitoring for the site. This baseline dataset provided a robust foundation for our Assessment of Environmental Effects on groundwater systems, surface hydrology, and water quality, ensuring any potential risks were identified and clearly understood from the outset.
As part of the consenting process, Principal Water Resource Scientist Zeb Etheridge presented expert hydrological and water quality evidence at the resource consent hearing. His authoritative and clearly communicated testimony was a key factor in the independent hearing panel’s decision to grant consent for the project.
Following approval, Kōmanawa designed and implemented a rigorous monitoring programme tailored to the mine’s operations and environmental setting. This programme ensures that any potential water quality impacts are detected early, allowing for proactive management and protection of important cultural and environmental values.
Kōmanawa also developed a customised compliance reporting system, automating large parts of the process using Python scripting and integrating rigorous statistical analysis. This has cut annual reporting time by around 50%, reduced the risk of water quality compliance issues, and provided earlier warnings of potential changes in site conditions.
Kōmanawa continues to provide ongoing support to Westland Mineral Sands, including periodic effects reviews, technical advice, and monitoring oversight. We also bring expertise from this project into other major mineral sands developments—such as our hydrological and modelling work for the Mananui Mine, where our confident science communication again helped secure consent.
Outcomes & Impact
- Compliance Efficiency: Automated reporting drastically reduced costs and administrative effort.
- Risk Management: Robust statistical approaches provided more reliable detection of water quality trends and compliance risks.
- Cultural and Community Protection: Monitoring and responsive management upheld mana whenua and community values.
- Economic Development: The mine supports significant regional job creation, infrastructure investment, and economic growth for the West Coast.
- Environmental Stewardship: Sustainable tailings management, real-time data systems, and ongoing land rehabilitation ensure the operation meets the highest standards.
Socio-Economic Benefits
Investment in local infrastructure – including upgrades to the Greymouth port for mineral exports
The operation will generate an estimated $71 million in annual export revenue and contribute $37.9 million to the West Coast economy, creating up to 70 well-paid jobs.
