Our Natural Resources

Elements and energy

When we talk about our natural resources, we’re talking about how we can harvest energy sources and use critical elements and materials to meet today’s needs while also addressing sustainability and net-carbon emission reductions.

We need to know more about how heat, magma and metals move within the crust because of our greater reliance on geothermal energy. Critical elements are required in many low-carbon technologies and knowing where they are distributed in the subsurface may be vital to support the transition to a low-emissions future. 

Our research

Our Te-Riu-A-Māui Zealandia programme provides the underpinning science to understand our volcanic past and the implications for volcanic eruptions, geothermal systems and mineralisation. Our research traverses the length of New Zealand ‘s tectonic activity and offshore to the Harve Trough, the volcanoes of the Kermadec active arc front and the Hikurangi subduction zone.

Zealandia’s older crystalline basement rocks potentially host commercially viable quantities of critical elements required in many low-carbon technologies, including electric vehicles and wind turbines.

Aggregates are critical for infrastructure, and it’s essential that we find sources close to areas of major development to substantially reduce cartage costs and associated carbon emissions.

Key questions driving our research

• How does volcanism and geothermal systems in Aotearoa New Zealand link to magma, heat production and crustal fluid circulation?
• How can New Zealand sustainably access and use our critical elements and geological materials to secure essential resource supplies and reduce carbon emissions?
• What are the physical properties of the crust and how do they evolve and affect seismicity and heat flow in Aotearoa New Zealand?
• What role do Earth surface and sea floor processes play in defining the changing dynamic of Aotearoa New Zealand's landmass?