Minerals from New Zealand
New Zealand perhaps isn’t the first name we think of in mineral collections, but there are still some nice minerals from the islands – my personal favourite is the nephrite jade known to the Maori people as ‘pounamu’.
New Zealand isn’t especially well known for mineral specimens, but the country does have a mining industry and produces a range of materials.
The country’s main mining outputs include coal, gold, silver, and ironsands. Gold has been mined in New Zealand since the 19th century, with operations still ongoing today.
There are a number of interesting minerals that occur here, though few make it to the wider collectors market. There are some excellent zeolite minerals found in the country, including fine mordenite, natrolite, and phillipsite.
Jade – or more accurately, pounamu, the Māori term – is also found in New Zealand. It’s a form of nephrite and has significant cultural and historical value. While not usually sold in the mineral collectors market, it is widely used for carving and jewellery.
Specimens are relatively uncommon on the international market, and are generally of more interest locally than globally.
It’s also worth quickly highlighting the existence of copal from New Zealand – known as ‘New Zealand gum’, or ‘kauri gum’. Copal is a ‘young’ amber, which has not fully polymerised – but regardless, it is not a mineral but a mineraloid with an organic origin.
For other NZ specimens, including fossils, see the links below: