Martha Mine owner OceanaGold is seeking resource consent to dig more gold out of the existing open pit.

Exploration identified an underground mine beneath the Martha open pit, says OceanaGold Waihi General Manager, Bernie O'Leary.

'Mining activity under the open pit could commence in 2020 and extend our current mine life by at least 10 years, meaning we would continue to deliver significant benefits to our community here in Waihi and the broader region.

'Within the open pit we plan to complete remediation of the North Wall which will give us access to the ore at the bottom of the pit and then use this material to backfill the stopes we plan to mine, and some of the old stopes from pre-1952 mining activities.

'We would also mine a small ore body under residential properties here in Waihi over two years, following a year of development.”

Over the coming days, OceanGold will host a series of community meetings and an open day so residents in Waihi can ask questions about the plans for the future, says Bernie.

The Hauraki District Council's 2017 Economic Profile demonstrates that mining is a significant contributor to the Hauraki district, larger than farming, fishing and forestry combined.

'Project Martha would continue to support this contribution, delivering a similar production rate to current operations, with a peak of around 420 jobs, and an average of 350 full time jobs each year over the 10-year period.

'And it means we can continue to partner in a meaningful way with our community, including our schools, over the next 10 years.”

Information about the proposal to construct and operate the new Martha Underground mine and a small cutback along the North Wall of the existing Martha open pit, is on the OceanaGold website.