Austrian operator OMV and its joint venture partners Mitsui and SapuraOMV are formulating an appraisal and development plan for this year’s Toutouwai discovery — a rare substantial find in New Zealand's offshore.

Contracting sources said Toutouwai — which is the Maori word for the bird robin — is not yet large enough to be a standalone project but the joint venture intends to drill at least one additional well near the discovery off Taranaki.

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