OceanaGold Waihi is digitising its operations and seeking staff. Photo / Kit Wilson
Digitisation of OceanaGold's underground operations at Waihi and a boost in staff numbers by up to 40 people by the end of next year are among investments being made by the company.
Last year OceanaGold, which employs 350 people in Waihi, was given consents to 2028 for Project Martha.
"Having a 10-year mine life now means we're able to make the investment that we haven't been able to make before. When we were operating on three or four-year terms it wasn't feasible," says Underground Manager Charlie Gawith.
Senior Communications Adviser Kit Wilson believed the assurances around tenure had flow-on for the Waihi property market, local infrastructure and retailers "after years of the community hearing that the mine will be closing".
"We're actually hiring, and Covid-19 has brought out a whole range of people with skills that are really important to us as an industry, and we're snapping them up," he says.
It's hot, hard work with 12-hour shifts and a pay packet that's not as big as in the mines of Australia.
But among those interested in work at Waihi's OceanaGold were Kiwis seeking to return home from lucrative mine work in Australia.
Chris Cremins, who is among its most senior miners, is a Kiwi who returned from Australia where he worked in mines where the gold could be scooped up by hand.
He took a short break from operating a $1.2 million jumbo drill at the deepest point in the Waihi operation to speak to the Waihi Leader 400m underground.
Cremins and his Australian wife have four children and moved here from Kalgoorlie in Western Australia.
He took a $90,000 pay cut to return home and no longer signs up for the excitement of rescue work and competitions, but says the lifestyle is great.
"Kalgoorlie has 30 or 40 pubs, lots of money and lots of spending of that money. But it's not all about money. It's nice to see the green grass and visit lots of places around the country. It's only a short drive to the beach, to Katikati, Tauranga or the Coromandel. We're enjoying seeing more of New Zealand."
Working on a narrow vein that is being mined using small gear was Australian Ben Sanders, who met his Kiwi wife, Kathryn, in Mt Isa.
At age 28, Ben was able to buy seven acres at Katikati and allow physiotherapist Kathryn to be fulltime mum to their three children aged 5, 3 and 2.
"I didn't even know mines existed in New Zealand, then I came over here.
"Australia is cheaper to live in than New Zealand but we're happy here. We're here for the long haul," says Ben.
He works 12-hour shifts underground but was adjusting these to 10 hours to allow him more time with a young family.
In Australia his work was 1.5 miles down on a much bigger scale and "a lot of pressure".
"Going a mile and a half down you have so many different drives and there's a lot of stresses in the ground. You're not dealing with collapses like we did back at home."
In the first quarter to March this year, Waihi produced 12,200 ounces of gold and the company produced a total of 80,707 ounces of gold and 54,134 ounces of silver from its Haile, Didipio, Waihi and Macraes operations.
OceanaGold's total gold production decreased 25 per cent compared to the previous quarter due to planned lower production from Haile and Macraes. While Waihi completed mining of the larger parts of the Correnso underground mine in February, narrow vein mining is continuing, with stope blasting expected to begin shortly.
OceanaGold has spent more than $60m conducting exploration drilling at Waihi and at Wharekirauponga, 10km north of Waihi.