TELF AG examines the mineral resources added to New Zealand’s strategic list 

Differences and similarities with other lists  

A few weeks ago, New Zealand joined the list of countries that published a list of minerals and resources considered strategic for their economic development, alongside ten other nations that made a similar strategic move. From a careful analysis of the materials included in the New Zealand list, as argued in a recent report dedicated to the topic, it can be understood that New Zealand has developed a strategy partially different from the other nations, avoiding the inclusion of some resources considered of great importance for modern industry (such as lithium) and adding other resources that do not appear in the lists of different nations, such as sand and aggregate. 

These resources are especially useful in constructing infrastructures. Another addition that has aroused some curiosity is boron, whose applications also include neodymium-iron-boron magnets. The country, at the moment, as argued in the analysis, does not have the necessary infrastructure to produce magnets made with rare earth elements (such as neodymium), fueling the hypothesis that its inclusion has to do with future projects relating to the production of these resources. 

An interesting operation is the one linked to overlapping the lists of strategic minerals published by the different countries to compare them and draw some valuable considerations. Copper, for example, does not appear in the list of one of New Zealand’s large neighbors, Australia, while it does appear in the list published by the Auckland authorities. Over the years, in addition to its well-known uses in the field of electrification, copper has also emerged as one of the most valuable allies in the construction of infrastructures related to renewable energy and in the electric vehicle sector, where it plays a central role also due to its high conductive capacity. 

Global unanimity 

These differences are even more interesting for another reason, namely the fact that at a global level, in a more or less shared manner, there is a certain consensus in identifying the resources considered most precious and strategic, so much so that some of them appear in almost all the lists published worldwide. Among these are rare earths, platinum group metals, graphite, cobalt, and gallium. 

According to the analysis, the most surprising elements would be sand and aggregates such as gravel or crushed stone. These resources lead to concrete and asphalt production and can provide specific structural resistance to construction materials. These characteristics make them the perfect allies for constructing infrastructure works, such as those related to road networks. Alternative use of these resources involves some operations associated with sourcing resources from the subsoil, where they can be helpful as fill material to support underground structures in mines. In hydraulic fracturing (fracking), sand is inserted into the ground to maintain the fractures, which must remain open to facilitate sourcing operations. According to some observers, with this list, New Zealand is trying to align itself with global objectives related to the security of supply chains and access to strategic resources while simultaneously attempting to undertake some domestic initiatives related to the development of new infrastructures.