Electrifying Mining in NZ: It’s Worth Its Weight in Gold

New Zealand has begun electrifying its mining industry, showing a sustainable way for the world to obtain the materials we need to transition to clean energy.

Gold and coal play a big role in the history of New Zealand — and both will probably continue to play a big role in the future of our planet. The lessons of the historic gold rushes and coal fields of New Zealand echo the experiences of mining communities across North America, with periods of booms and busts leaving a legacy of environmental degradation. Now, with its strong commitment to environmental protection, the little island country is showing the world how we can use modern technology to obtain gold, coal, and other critical materials in ways that can save our planet-for example, by using the “ biggest EV in the country” to dig ore.

In 1842, whalers found gold on the North Island in the Coromandel Peninsula and a survey party found gold on the South Island near Nelson. But it wasn’t until 1852 that the first of a series of gold rushes kicked off, which eventually drew tens of thousands of hopeful immigrants to Aotearoa. In many places, such as Dunedin ( which briefly became the most prosperous city in New Zealand), coal mines followed the gold mines to provide heat and power for growing populations and industry. Today, mining is the country’s most productive industry in terms of “gross domestic product per job filled.”…