A large global market
The global market for specialty waxes and resins is billions of dollars per annum. The products are used in a large variety of applications such as printing, coatings, polishes, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, road surfacing, building products and many other applications. They typically form a small but crucial component in a more complex formulation.
A unique Aotearoa New Zealand resource
As a fortunate consequence of natural history, in Aotearoa New Zealand’s Far North vast Kauri forests have grown and then, on three separate occasions over the last 20,000 years, been flattened by massive storm events. The native Kauri uniquely produce compounds that deter other matter from growing, and these compounds are therefore in the layers of fallen kauri that in many places can be found in layers under sand and top soil on Far North farmland.
These compounds, when properly extracted and separated into their various resin and wax strains, can compete with other high value resin and wax products. For example some of our waxes are comparable with, or superior to, Carnauba Wax and others match or outperform Candelilla Wax. Our waxes and resins also have prized qualities that enable them to be blended and combined producing products that cannot be synthesised. Our resins offer attractive physical characteristics such as very high melt point, hardness, gloss, and strength, which are prized as specialty ingredients in a wide range of industrial applications.
A specialist process and technology
ResWax has spent many years studying the nature of the deposits, and investigating many aspects of how these might be extracted and separated into the market relevant components. We have confirmed the market relevance and cost competitiveness of our products in a growing global market where supply of substitutes is constrained. Callaghan Innovation provided early stage support along with funding from a small group of very early stage investors.
We have developed a continuous process technology that enables us to produce commercial scale quantities of these resin and wax products. No additives are involved so the products are natural and from a single source. The processes are closed loop, so there are no discharges, and the balance of the resource (around 90%) is returned to the farmland and the source paddocks reinstated.
With responsible excavation site management it is an environmentally positive undertaking: these deposits are not coming from natural wet lands and they are not to be confused with leafy semi decomposed peat such as for example sphagnum moss. Only a few paddocks are worked at any one time: fewer than 20 Ha in any one year, and reinstated as we go.
A great opportunity for the community
Alongside our work on market, resource and extraction and refining technology, ResWax has benefitted from the ongoing interest and support of the communities of the Far North. In particular Te Rūnanga o NgāiTakoto (the governing organisation of the NgāiTakoto people and their collectively held land and other interests) have embraced the potential of ResWax to produce very long term sustainable and high quality training, employment, careers and wider economic benefits to the region. ResWax is proud to count them, along with neighbouring iwi Te Aupōuri to the north, among our investors. Themajority of our local employees also whakapapa to Far North iwi. We enjoy a great partnership with Te Rūnanga o NgāiTakoto in many aspects of the business such as plant site location, access to many many years worth of resource, and lots of advice as we undertake site development, plant build and ramp up our employment in what has been their back yard and front lawn for over 700 years.
2023 – 2027: Capital Project and Commercial Operations
On the basis of the extensive work concluded in respect of the resource, the partners, the market and the processing technology, ResWax raised significant additional capital in late 2022. Our investors include some funds, but are predominantly New Zealand individuals, families and iwi. Our focus now is to complete the detailed design, procurement, construction and commissioning of our processing plant located north west of Kaitaia.
By New Zealand standards this is a reasonable size chemical processing plant capital project: not as big as an oil refinery or very large dairy plant, but for example ultimately bigger than most breweries or wine making facilities. This is being conducted in phases with production capacity ramping up in steps over time.
Development Plant Commissioned 2024
Contact Us: info@reswax.com
RESWAX 