01
Explore
Every drill hole adds a piece to the puzzle. The latest drilling at Rise and Shine returned 26.9 metres at 13 grams of gold per tonne, in the area planned for early mining.
Our home. Our future.
The Bendigo-Ophir Gold Project, Central Otago. Plain answers about what we're planning, how it would work, and what it means for the people who live here.
A Kiwi geologist followed a hunch that the old Bendigo goldfield was the surface of something much bigger. It became the most significant single gold discovery in New Zealand in over four decades. Now the job is to build it properly, with the people of Central Otago in the room.
What's at stake for the region.
0
Total jobs
~0
Direct roles once operating
$0b
Estimated Crown revenue: royalties, company tax and PAYE
0%
NZ-based supply chain
0 yrs
Mine life
0 oz
Gold a year
Figures from Santana's Project Overview Booklet, FAQ and Prospectors Post #18. Crown revenue is a 2025 PFS projection at NZ$5,410/oz, not a guaranteed payment.
From rock to gold bar.
Five steps, one valley. Scroll to follow the gold.
02
Mine
Four open pits along one corridor in the Dunstan Mountains, in a naturally secluded valley. About a year after mining starts, Rise and Shine heads underground.
03
Process
A 1.2 million tonne a year carbon-in-leach plant recovers the gold. A destruction circuit brings cyanide down to about 0.35 mg/L, below the NZ Drinking Water Standard of 0.6 mg/L.
04
Contain
What's left is finely ground Central Otago schist. It's stored in the Shepherds tailings facility, built on solid bedrock and buttressed by 200 million tonnes of rock.
05
Return
Rehabilitation starts on day one. Soils are stored, tussocks salvaged and finished areas replanted as mining moves on, aiming for net biodiversity gain at closure.
Let's talk tailings.
It's the question we get asked most. Here's the Shepherds tailings storage facility, built up layer by layer.
Solid schist bedrock
The facility sits on the same hard schist that shapes the hills around it. No soft ground, no shortcuts.
Drains underneath
Engineered drainage and seepage collection intercept water and send it back to the processing plant to be reused.
An engineered base
Layers built to the NZ Dam Safety Guidelines, certified by Chartered Professional Engineers and independently peer reviewed.
A wall built in stages
The embankment rises with production to 108 metres. Its final crest sits about 200 metres below the surrounding ridgelines.
Tailings, in layers
Tailings arrive as a slurry and settle in layers so water drains and is recycled. During operations it's a zero-release facility.
Built for the big one.
The embankment is designed for a 1-in-10,000-year earthquake. For scale, an Alpine Fault rupture (AF8) is about a 1-in-300-year event.
108 m embankment
~22 Mt tailings stored
65 ha storage area
200 Mt rock buttress
Annual emergency drills
Myth or fact? Tap a card.
Living next door.
Dust, noise, light and water. What you'd notice, and the rules we'd have to follow.
10 km/h
Normal operations
Water carts on haul roads, site speed limits and daily planning off the weather forecast.
300 mFine dust (PM₁₀) is typically back to background within this distance
6 g/m²Over 30 days triggers a formal investigation
Feb 2023Monitoring began, before major earthworks: 5 gauges, 3 weather stations
0Rivers or community supplies used. Water comes from the Bendigo Aquifer and pit dewatering
55dB
Below 55 decibels by day
At neighbouring properties, roughly the level of an everyday conversation.
2 to 3 secEach blast, at scheduled times that are communicated in advance
CODCNoise and vibration continuously monitored and reported to the council
District PlanEvery activity must meet Central Otago District Plan limits
Illustration only.
10 luxMost light spill any neighbouring property or road can receive, about a distant streetlight
3000KOr warmer bulbs, to cut glare and protect wildlife
No upward spillShielded fittings, Dark Sky principles
SensorsNon-working areas switched off; mobile lights only in active zones
Contained. Recycled. Monitored.
- Keep clean water cleanWater races divert clean runoff around the tailings facility.
- Contain and reuseMine water is fully contained and recycled in a zero-release system during operations.
- Treat before releaseDischarge to Shepherds Creek only once it's within consent limits.
- Monitor, for as long as it takesLocal waterways monitored since 2023, and treatment continues after closure until water meets consent criteria.
Beginning with the end in mind.
The goal at closure is net biodiversity gain. A bond is set independently, reviewed every year and grows as the footprint grows.
0 haArdgour Restoration Area
0 haMine Regeneration Zones
0 haPredator-free sanctuaries
0Tussocks salvaged before earthworks
~0 mOf stream remediated or enhanced
0 haNew wetland and marshland
The road to a decision.
One process. One decision. Here's where things sit today.
Dust and water monitoring begins
Community drop-in sessions start in Tarras and Cromwell
Application paused for feedback
Final conditions and management plans filed
Panel's draft decision expected
We are hereFinal decision
Management plans certified
Earthworks begin
Bulk pre-strip
First gold
Dates after the decision are indicative and depend on the outcome and conditions.
Engagement. It's more than holding events.
0Recorded interactions at drop-in sessions
0Community drop-in sessions
0Presentations, briefings and site visits
0Businesses engaged
0+Job enquiries already
$0+Into local charities, schools, clubs and events
Cromwell Volunteer Fire BrigadeTarras Volunteer Fire BrigadeCentral Otago HospiceDunstan High SchoolCromwell CollegeFine Thyme TheatreWorld Gold Panning ChampionshipsLight Up WinterTarras Primary SchoolHawea Flat SchoolCromwell Youth TrustCentral Otago Junior RugbyOtago Mounted GamesManuherikia Valleys Community HubCromwell Street Party & FireworksClyde Bowling Club
$20 caps. Every dollar to the brigade.
We've covered the production cost, so 75% goes to the Cromwell Volunteer Fire Brigade for a crew transport vehicle and 25% to Tarras for a backup generator.
Get a cap at bendigogold.co.nz
A career without leaving home
Engineering, geology, environmental science, trades and mining operations. Apprenticeships and training so young people can build a career right here.
Register your interest
Got a local cause?
Sponsorship and donation rounds close 1 February, 1 June and 1 October. Youth, education, health and safety, culture, environment and wellbeing.
How to applyMon16Nov
Come and talk to the team
Cromwell, Gentle Annies, 5pm to 6pm. A 30-minute presentation on the project, then 30 minutes of questions with the experts.
Ask us anything.
The questions people ask most, answered plainly. Start typing.
No answer for that yet. Send it to the team and we'll add it here.
Still got a question?
A real person on the community team will get back to you. Good questions get added to the FAQ for everyone.
- Call0800 726 333
- Emailcommunity@santanaminerals.com
- Visit2 Cemetery Road, Cromwell