Skip to main content

Story: Marine minerals

Coastal dredging

Image
Coastal dredging

In the North Island at Mangawhai Heads and Kaipara Harbour, aggregate and sand deposits have been dredged for the construction industry. At Waikato North Head and Taharoa, ironsands are mined for steel making. In the South Island, at sites off the West Coast and Otago, there are also thought to be gold deposits left by rivers of the past. The size of the deposits and their exact location are still largely unknown.

Using this item

Te Ara - The Encyclopedia of New Zealand

Source: Crown Minerals (data); GNS Science (base map)

This item has been provided for private study purposes (such as school projects, family and local history research) and any published reproduction (print or electronic) may infringe copyright law. It is the responsibility of the user of any material to obtain clearance from the copyright holder.

All images & media in this story

How to cite this page

Ian Wright, Marine minerals – Phosphates, ironsands and sands, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/map/5522/coastal-dredging (accessed 25 June 2026).

Story by Ian Wright, published 2 March 2009.