Ora Banda Mining Ltd (ASX:OBM, OTC:ESGFF, FRA:M6N) has returned a new batch of high-grade gold hits from infill and extensional drilling at the Golden Pole lode within its Waihi project near the Davyhurst processing plant in Western Australia, strengthening the case for the area to be included in an updated mineral resource and maiden underground ore reserve due in the June 2026 quarter.
“These excellent drill results build on the rapidly growing body of work at Waihi and we’re moving to incorporate these into an updated Waihi underground Mineral Resource and Ore Reserve Estimate scheduled for release this quarter," Ora Banda’s managing director, Luke Creagh, said.
“At Waihi, we are once again seeing the rapid transition of an exploration target into a potential near-term development, highlighting both the excellent organic growth opportunities on the tenement package plus the outstanding ability of our teams to discover and develop these opportunities.”
High-grade results build momentum at Golden Pole
Drilling at Golden Pole Lode 1 delivered a series of standout intersections, with results including:
- 3.0m at 44.0 g/t gold, including 2.0m at 64.6 g/t
- 11.3m at 10.5 g/t, including 2.0m at 48.2 g/t
- 7.0m at 16.9 g/t, including 3.5m at 31.3 g/t
- 5.0m at 23.1 g/t, including 2.0m at 55.0 g/t
- 5.0m at 15.8 g/t, including 2.0m at 34.6 g/t
- 7.9m at 8.7 g/t, including 1.7m at 31.4 g/t
- 7.0m at 5.8 g/t, including 1.0m at 14.1 g/t
- 0.4m at 80.9 g/t
- 3.0m at 9.6 g/t, including 1.0m at 19.4 g/t
- 3.0m at 8.2 g/t, including 1.0m at 10.7 g/t
- 3.0m at 7.0 g/t, including 1.0m at 15.8 g/t
- 6.0m at 6.7 g/t, including 2.9m at 12.4 g/t
Additional results from the broader Waihi project included:
- 1.9m at 8.5 g/t, including 0.7m at 19.2 g/t at Waihi West
- 1.0m at 32.9 g/t at Waihi East
The latest results come from a 22-hole drill campaign launched in January 2026 and follow earlier high-grade hits reported from Golden Pole.
Drilling expands high-grade footprint at Waihi
The program was designed to infill and extend mineralisation below the historic Golden Pole workings and test a newly identified lode east of the old mine area.
Results have helped define a parallel high-grade shoot below and south of the historic workings, with mineralisation remaining open to the south and down plunge. Ora Banda has also identified lodes 1, 2 and 6 as part of a broader north-west striking system, a structural orientation the company believes is associated with better widths and grades than the dominant north-south mineralised trends at Waihi.
This revised interpretation has opened up a larger exploration window to the south-east of the currently defined Golden Pole mineralisation.
Waihi sits about 3 kilometres west of Ora Banda’s Davyhurst processing plant and is being advanced as a potential third underground mine. Golden Pole is set to be included for the first time in the upcoming Waihi mineral resource update and maiden underground ore reserve.
Overview showing Waihi location compared to Davyhurst processing hub.
Historic production from Golden Pole totalled about 81,000 tonnes at 29.6 g/t gold for roughly 77,000 ounces between 1900 and 1939.
What’s next
Ora Banda is now incorporating the latest Golden Pole and broader Waihi drill results into:
- an updated underground mineral resource estimate; and
- a maiden underground ore reserve estimate for Waihi
- Both are scheduled for release in the June 2026 quarter.
Beyond that, the company has flagged further drilling aimed at converting inferred material to indicated status, as well as testing extensions to the south and east of Waihi