The Government has opened nearly 400,000 hectares of South Island land to tenders for platinum exploration.
Platinum New Zealand 2013, the Government's third competitive minerals tender, opened on Friday. It covers parts of Southland, the West Coast, Tasman and Nelson Marlborough.
Tenders must submitted by April next year and exploration permits are expected to be granted in December 2014 for an initial five-year period.
New Zealand Petroleum & Minerals general manager David Binnie said global demand for platinum is likely to increase, because supply is constrained.
