Paul Goldsmith tries his hand at gold prospecting

Arts, Culture and Heritage Minister Paul Goldsmith was delighted to find five flakes of gold while prospecting in the Cardrona River near Wanaka yesterday, but it was not enough to satisfy his fellow prospector, Waitaki MP Miles Anderson.

"Not enough to clear the national debt, but it is a start," Mr Anderson quipped.

The MPs made the stopoff to hear about the region's gold mining history from Otago Goldfields Heritage Trust members Terry Davis and Odette Hopgood.

They are organising the World Gold Panning Championships, which is due to be held in Central Otago in 2026.

Mr Goldsmith said the event would be "a huge opportunity to combine those wonderful things like gold, the importance of that industry, the heritage and the stories about New Zealand’s history in gold and the opportunity to attract a whole lot of tourists to the country".

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