Several local councils on the West Coast are pushing for more mining in the area as they say it could reverse the tide of recent job losses.
The Buller, Grey and Westland district councils, the West Coast Regional Council and the organisation, Development West Coast, have unveiled a West Coast Minerals Strategy.
A Development West Coast spokesperson said diversifying minerals extraction would create jobs.
It also wanted what it called a philosophy of red carpet, not red tape, to assist the development of businesses.
The strategy said minerals extraction contributed an average of $447 million to regional GDP during the past three years.
Mining on the West Coast had been dominated by coal and gold, but the report said there was also prospecting for titanium, ilmenite and base metals.
