Government lends $50 million to West Coast mining companies

The government will lend $50 million to two West Coast companies that process mineral sands — material extracted from the beach. Westland Mineral Sands gets $30 million for a plant near Westport; Tāiko Critical Minerals gets up to $20 million for a facility at Barrytown. The investment should create about 170 jobs and help the companies sell processed products rather than raw material overseas.