Gold is found in New Zealand either in quartz lodes or in alluvial deposits. Alluvial gold has been recovered by various methods - by 'panning' in a dish or pan; by 'sluicing' away less dense material from gravel faces; or by 'dredging' up gravel from riverbeds. In New Zealand most gold prospecting and mining was undertaken privately but as all precious metals belong to the Crown under the common law, rights to prospect or mine had to be granted by the Crown.
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