Mr. Robert Eckford reports

RUA GOLD FILES THE PRELIMINARY ECONOMIC ASSESSMENT FOR THE AULD CREEK PROJECT

Rua Gold Inc. has filed a preliminary economic assessment for the Auld Creek gold-antimony project located in the Reefton goldfield on the West coast of New Zealand. A copy of the technical report is available on SEDAR+ and on the company's website.

The scientific and technical information contained in this news release has been prepared and approved by the following independent qualified persons, each within the meaning of National Instrument 43-101 (Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects):

• Abraham Whaanga, BSc, MAusIMM (CP) of RSC, has reviewed and verified the resource-related information disclosed herein.
• Gary Davison, FAusIMM, principal mining engineer and director of Mining One Consultants, has reviewed the mining methods, mining capital and operating costs, and is responsible for economic analysis.
• Marius Phillips, NHD Ex Met, MAusIMM (CP), RPEQ, technical director of Pitch Black Group, is responsible for information relating to plant capital and operating costs, mineral processing, and metallurgical testing and recovery methods.

Each qualified person:

• Has independently reviewed and verified relevant underlying data in the mineral resource estimate and preliminary economic assessment;
• Has consented to the disclosure of the information in this news release in the form and context in which it appears;
• Is independent of Rua Gold within the meaning of National Instrument 43-101.

The mineral resource estimate presented in Rua's press release on May 5, 2026, was based on minable shapes created by RSC for the February, 2026, independent technical report (Whaanga, 2026). This MRE is comparable with the raw minable stope optimizer MRE presented in Table 14-21 of the PEA technical report, which was based on minable-stope-optimizer-generated shapes produced by Mining One for the PEA.

The final MSO set presented in Table 14-21 of the PEA technical report is materially different to the MRE in the May 5, 2026, press release, with a 22- to 27-per-cent change in gold equivalent ounces. This is due to the consideration of additional geotechnical, engineering and economic factors, including partial extraction of a crown pillar, for the purpose of meeting the criteria for reasonable prospects for eventual economic extraction at the PEA level. Further details of the factors considered are provided in Section 14.10 of the technical report.

About Rua Gold Inc.

Rua Gold is an exploration company, strategically focused on New Zealand. With decades of expertise, the team has turned major discoveries into producing world-class mines in multiple continents. The team is focused on maximizing the asset potential of Rua Gold's two highly prospective high-grade gold projects.

The company controls the Reefton gold district as the dominant landholder in the Reefton goldfield on New Zealand's South Island with over 120,000 hectares of permits in a district that historically produced over two million ounces of gold grading from nine to 50 grams per tonne.

The company's Glamorgan project solidifies Rua Gold's position as a leading high-grade gold explorer on New Zealand's North Island. This highly prospective project is located within the North Islands' Hauraki district, a region that has produced an impressive 15 million ounces of gold and 60 million ounces of silver.

Technical information

Simon Henderson, CP, AusIMM, a qualified person under National Instrument 43-101 (Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects), chief operating officer and a director of Rua Gold, has reviewed and approved the technical disclosure contained herein. Mr. Henderson has verified the data disclosed, including sampling and analytical and test data underlying the information or opinions contained in the technical information herein. Mr. Henderson supervised the company's drill program and verified the data disclosed, including sampling and analytical and quality assurance/quality control data, including reviewing the reports of SGS Laboratories, methodologies, results and all procedures undertaken for quality assurance and quality control in a manner consistent with industry practice, and all matters were consistent and accurate according to his professional judgment. There were no limitations on the verification process.

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