Ora Banda Mining Ltd. (OBM) announced the commencement of underground mining at Waihi, together with further high-grade drill results at Golden Pole and the newly identified Midnight prospect. OBM blasted the first round at the portal from the highwall at the Waihi open-pit mine. Waihi is the third underground mine developed by OBM in three years, contributing to the company’s DRIVE to 300 strategy, which targets production of 300,000 ounces (oz) in FY29. The company anticipates first ore from Waihi Underground mid-CY2027.

Development of the Waihi underground mine is an important de-risking event for OBM as the company advances construction of the new 3 million-metric-ton-per-year (mt/y) processing facility, with the high-grade Golden Pole material set to be preferentially treated through the existing Davyhurst Mill, offsetting the reduced processing volumes as the company seeks to end third-party processing and begins to stockpile ore ahead of the planned commissioning of the new mill during early CY2028.

“Once again, it’s a credit to the OBM team and business partners to rapidly identify an opportunity and turn it into a mine. Furthermore, the newly identified Midnight Prospect adds to a growing list of high-grade underground targets at Waihi, with the establishment of underground drill platforms a key near-term objective to extend and infill what is considered a large and under-drilled system,” said OBM Managing Director, Luke Creagh.

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