New Zealand China Clays produces a unique halloysite clay
product at Matauri Bay, Northland.

The company has licences over
four deposits that were derived from the weathering of rhyodacite domes. Clay is
mined and processed from two of the four deposits and is refined using a complex
process based on gravity separation.

The product is almost entirely exported to
niche markets in 24 countries. The main market is the fine ceramic industry
where the product is used as a component in the manufacture of high quality
porcelain and bone china bodies. The use of halloysite in these bodies gives the
manufacturer the ability to achieve high whiteness and translucency. The other
major market is for use in technical ceramics, where the product is sought after
due to its high purity, fine particle size and stability at high
temperatures.