In a remote corner of New Zealand’s South Island, a historic goldfield that once produced over two million ounces of gold is undergoing a modern revival. The Reefton Goldfield, which helped build the country more than a century ago, is now the focus of an intensive, around-the-clock drilling campaign. This time, however, the story is not just about gold. The project also contains antimony, a metal that has become one of the most strategically contested materials on Earth as Western governments scramble to secure supply outside of China.
Antimony Adds Strategic Importance
Antimony, used to harden alloys, retard flames, and manufacture munitions, was long an afterthought in global markets. That changed when China tightened export controls on the metal, which it dominates in production and processing. Antimony is now classified as a critical mineral in the United States and other Western economies, making its secure supply a national-security priority. This shift has elevated gold-antimony projects like RUA GOLD Inc.’s Auld Creek project in the Reefton Goldfield, which hosts New Zealand’s largest known antimony deposit alongside high-grade gold.
RUA GOLD Progress Update
On June 17, 2026, RUA GOLD Inc. (TSX: RUA) (NZX: RGI) (OTC: NZAUF) reported strong progress at its Auld Creek gold-antimony project. The company said recent drilling continues to demonstrate strong evidence for expanding the gold-antimony resource over a strike length of more than 1,000 metres and to depths beyond 500 metres. RUA has now collared its 100th hole, with roughly 10,000 metres of a planned 19,000-metre program already complete. Drilling is running 24 hours a day, seven days a week, ahead of schedule, and the company remains on track to fold the results into a Pre-Feasibility Study targeted for completion in the fourth quarter of 2026.
Drilling Results Highlight Continuity
The June update highlighted recent drilling results that provide definitive proof of grade continuity in the project’s southern Fraternal zone, raising confidence in the resource envelope some 300 metres below surface. Notable intercepts include 2.7 metres at 7.6 grams per tonne gold-equivalent (containing both gold and a notable antimony component) from 269 metres, and a 10.1-metre interval at 2.2 grams per tonne gold-equivalent. The company says these results confirm both the continuity and the expansion potential of the system.
The combination of gold and antimony in a single operation offers a potent mix: gold underwrites the economics, while antimony adds strategic relevance and a second revenue stream. In an investment climate that prizes both precious-metal exposure and critical-mineral security, a project that credibly offers both, in a stable and allied jurisdiction like New Zealand, occupies unusually attractive ground.
