Hi All, Myself and two mates are currently setting up some claims, and will be making them available for dredging (and all other methods of prospecting) to multiple parties on an annual, flat fee basis (no royalty).
If you are interested, what do you think is a fair yearly fee for this opportunity?
We currently have a claim on the Clutha River (60515), another one coming soon (Central Otago), and a “nugget” claim on the cards.
For this to work, these claims have to have good public access, Gold, and ideally camping onsite, so these have been the major factors in our selection process.
Gidday,
Good on you for attempting to set this up. Hope it all works out as planned, as I’m sure with your background it will.
Fair yearly fee is a tricky one. I mean sure, if the claim is rich enough to warrant full time working with a 6 inch then someone might be prepared to pay around 5k for a year I should think? If the dredger was making a profit (after all costs) of $1000 per week for the year then , the $5k would be a “royalty” of 10% roughly.
But if it was not really a money making venture (such as pan and sluice once a month) then I would be surprised if people would be prepared to pay more than a few hundred bucks for the year.
And how would you manage the number of people per stretch of river? And who gets priority over a particular location?
For people who want to dredge full-time we would most likely construct a separate agreement.
Ideally, we are setting this up for people who want to dredge on a causal basis, camp by the river, through a line in on dusk, and a few snags on the BBQ. We would set a limit on what is classified as “casual” use, and there are District Plan restrictions on the proximity of dredges to another (500m). And on large rivers such as the Clutha we may look to gain Resource Consent to minimize this restriction to say 200m.
Ultimately, all parties would need to have a healthy dose of common sense and honesty for this to work well.
yearly fee gets rid of any “trust and integrity” issues that go with gold and claim leases.
also ensures a return on investment rather then being talked up by a big ego wannabe thats guna make you rich for leasing it to them only for them to not have a clue and go broke and you recive $0 even to youve paid all the fees etc. (Seen this happen last summer the claim owner got big promises and got nothing in the end due to complete incompetence and lies)
great idea id favour it over a %, and as for the priority well guess that comes down to how good one is at negotiation and the one who pays the most… pretty simple.
I would be keen for Sure but question is really how much If i went maybe 2 a month a full Day compared on weather and Work …but good on you! i am from Roxburg Area Best Regards
This sounds like a golden opportunity for those who would appreciate affordable access to a licenced claim, being able to drive to the site, camp on the river bank and enjoy time in the river, sounds to good to be true. Thanks for the opportunity to comment. My thoughts are this may also really appeal to a number of hobbyists who may spent just a few weeks over the summer period using low volume dredges (4 inch or less ?) Perhaps you may consider a summer/monthly/weekly charge that is related to the dredge size or a standard hand fed sluice box. I understand you will want to keep arrangements simple however if the hobbyist could be accommodated I think that would be bloody marverless. Your venture will need to show a financial return so I expect costings will be reflective of that. I wish you well and look forward to reading more details as this unfolds.
Looks good to me. Shame I’m in the wrong part of the country. Luckily I have some ground where I can dig around up here. Is one of your current spots the claim that you are looking to sell?
And perhaps a small donation to the group of folks that have sorted out the QLDC rules that are going to make this idea work as there should be no consent restrictions now, soon to be advised.
I agree Dave and really appreciate the effort you and others put towards this. I also spent considerable time trying to get Straterra on board, but they see "recreational " dredging being beyond their mandate.
Your bang on, an association from the mining community is definitely needed, especially a low scale mining activity association, as it is the Forest and Tweety Bird Folks that have been driving and steering the councils over the last couple of years. With a recognised association, Councils will then have a point of contact for consultation, which is important moving forward.
Best Regards
a summer/monthly/weekly charge that is related to the dredge size or a standard hand fed sluice box. I understand you will want to keep arrangements simple however if the hobbyist could be accommodated I think that would be bloody marverless. Your venture will need to show a financial return so I expect costings will be reflective of that. I wish you well and look forward to reading more details as this unfolds.
