A company which spent up to $65 million in a failed bid to mine ironsands from the South Taranaki seabed, has applied for a prospecting permit covering a huge swathe of seabed north of Ross.

It was right to consider a compensation offer when deciding to drop charges against former Pike River chief executive Peter Whittall, WorkSafe NZ says.

Pike River Mine survivor Daniel Rockhouse says he was humbled to accept an award for bravery at an investiture ceremony at Government House this morning.

The Reserve Bank of Australia is warning borrowers against taking on too much debt as concerns grow about a potential housing bubble in Sydney and Melbourne.

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott has found a new way to plug the country's budget hole: targeting multinationals.

The ramifications of a further 113 job losses at Stockton will reverberate right down the West Coast and all the way to the Port of Lyttelton, MP Damien O'Connor says.

Solid Energy did all it could to avoid job cuts on the West Coast but the coal market made it too difficult, Bill English says.

The mood was grim as Solid Energy employees filed out of the NBS Theatre in Westport today, just minutes after finding out the company was cutting 151 jobs, plus up to 15 contracting jobs - from its Stockton mine. The company is cutting 151 jobs, but some of the losses will be made up of unfilled vacancies, meaning 113 current staff will lose their jobs. This cuts the number of staff at the mine from 397 to 246. It follows Solid's decision to cut 185 jobs a year ago.

The West Coast mining industry has been dealt a heavy blow today, with 113 jobs to go at Solid Energy's Stockton mine.

With the mining sector seen nearing the bottom of the cycle, Rio Tinto Group signalled to analysts it's ready to resume mergers and acquisitions.

OceanaGold has announced plans to buy Newmont Mining Corp's Waihi operation for cash, plus adjustments.

Kiwi shareholders in Australian mining giant BHP face paying an unfair tax as the company proceeds with a "demerger" plan.

From Africa to Ireland, mines that have produced zinc for decades are now tapped out.

New Seven Group Holdings chief executive Ryan Stokes says he is confident he can navigate the tough media and mining environment he is walking into.

China's worst economic slowdown in 25 years will hit Australia as iron ore prices tumble, says the World Bank.

Atlas Iron, Australia's fourth-largest iron ore supplier, will suspend all operations this month in response to a slump in prices to their lowest in a decade.

Gina Rinehart has locked in supply contracts with three of the largest iron ore-consuming Asian nations outside of China.

Coal prices have dropped 33pc to levels that have made most mining companies across the Appalachia region unprofitable.

A think tank report into unlocking planning obstacles faced by miners says central government needs to fund local councils for handling complex resource applications.

Iron ore sank below US$60 ($81) a tonne after China set the lowest target for economic growth in more than 15 years.

A dispute has again thrown up complaints that misused shell companies.

The late Australian mining heir Michael Wright bestowed very little on his youngest daughter.

Rio Tinto Group's Sam Walsh said if the second-largest mining company cut iron ore output after prices sank, forfeited supply would be made up by rivals with higher costs, and that wouldn't be in his....

The Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) has today rejected an application for a major seabed mining operation proposed off the coast of Canterbury.

West Australian mining companies with operations in Africa have had A$3.6 billion ($3.7 billion) wiped from their value in the past year.

Mega-miners BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto are expected to announce more record iron ore production this week despite the commodity's price dive.

Big gold producers are making plans to wind down some operations in different parts of the country while keeping a close eye on the price of the precious metal.

Would-be seabed miner Trans-Tasman Resources has dropped its appeal against its rejected proposal to vacuum ironsands off the ocean floor.