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Story: Mining and underground resources

Experimental plot near the Tui mine

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Experimental plot near the Tui mine

A small number of unusual plants absorb metals through their roots. Massey University scientist Robert Brooks (1926–2001) studied these plants, which he called hyperaccumulators, and realised that they could be used to clean up areas polluted by metal wastes.

These plants are being grown in an experimental plot near the Tui mine in Coromandel, in an attempt to find which plants would most effectively clean up this polluted area.

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How to cite this page

Simon Nathan, Mining and underground resources – Mining regulation and education, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/9249/experimental-plot-near-the-tui-mine (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Simon Nathan, published 2 March 2009.