Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - April 30, 2026) - Great Pacific Gold Corp. (TSXV: GPAC) (OTCQX: GPGCF) (FSE: 0B3) ("Great Pacific Gold," "GPAC," or the "Company") is pleased to provide an update on ongoing drilling and evolving targeting strategy at the Kavasuki prospect, on its flagship Wild Dog Project, located on the island of New Britain, Papua New Guinea ("PNG").
Drilling at Kavasuki was initiated in February 2026 and to-date the Company has completed five diamond drill holes with 688 meters drilled. Holes one, three and four have been previously released with Hole 5 results have just been received. A sixth hole is underway.
Highlights of Drill Program To-Date:
- KVH-01:
- 58.9 meters @ 2.50 g/t AuEq from 38.60 m (2.43 g/t Au, 2.75 g/t Ag, 0.02% Cu),
- Including 4.6 meters @ 8.56 g/t AuEq from 49.0 m (8.24 g/t Au, 10.19 g/t Ag, 0.13% Cu).
- 18.1 meters @ 2.14 g/t AuEq from 100.6 m (2.08 g/t Au, 1.60 g/t Ag, 0.03% Cu).
- 58.9 meters @ 2.50 g/t AuEq from 38.60 m (2.43 g/t Au, 2.75 g/t Ag, 0.02% Cu),
- KVH-03:
- 38.4 meters @ 2.23 g/t AuEq from 12.30 m (2.17 g/t Au, 2.50 g/t Ag, 0.02% Cu),
- Including 2.23 meters @ 10.31 g/t AuEq from 14.27 m (10.26 g/t Au, 1.33 g/t Ag, 0.02% Cu), and
- Including 2.20 meters @ 16.24 g/t AuEq from 48.50 m (15.78 g/t Au, 12.59 g/t Ag, 0.20% Cu).
- 38.4 meters @ 2.23 g/t AuEq from 12.30 m (2.17 g/t Au, 2.50 g/t Ag, 0.02% Cu),
- KVH-04:
- 59.9 meters @ 1.43 g/t AuEq from 8.70 m (1.33 g/t Au, 1.24 g/t Ag, 0.05% Cu),
- Including 14.0 meters @ 2.69 g/t AuEq from 35.0 m (2.61 g/t Au, 2.18 g/t Ag, 0.04% Cu), and
- Including 7.5 meters @ 2.78 g/t AuEq from 61.1 m (2.27 g/t Au, 1.99 g/t Ag, 0.31% Cu).
- 59.9 meters @ 1.43 g/t AuEq from 8.70 m (1.33 g/t Au, 1.24 g/t Ag, 0.05% Cu),
- KVH-05:
- 29.5 meters @ 0.45 g/t AuEq from 15.2 m (0.38 g/t Au, 3.43 g/t Ag, 0.02% Cu).
- KVH-06:
- underway and nearing completion with a step-out of 50 meters west from KVH-05.
- Additional six drill holes totalling approximately 900 meters planned to test Kavasuki along 500 meters of north-south strike length. Drilling is planned to be completed by the end of June 2026.
"The Kavasuki prospect is shaping up to be a substantial mineralized system located only 1.5km north from the Sinivit prospect. We are expecting to complete the initial testing of Kavasuki by the end of June with an additional 900 meters before moving the drill to the southern portion of the main Wild Dog Structural corridor to test other high-priority epithermal targets in our pipeline" stated Greg McCunn, CEO.
Results from KVH-05 confirm the continuation of quartz-carbonate veining, silicification, hydrothermal brecciation and gold mineralization within the Kavasuki system, although grades are lower than those returned in KVH-03 and KVH-04. When integrated with earlier drilling, the results support the interpretation of a broad, structurally controlled hydrothermal system in which higher-grade mineralization is likely focused within discrete structural positions.
"KVH-05 returned broad lower-grade mineralization, but importantly, it also intersected the same style of quartz-carbonate veining, silicification and hydrothermal brecciation observed in earlier holes," said Callum Spink, Vice President Exploration. "This supports our interpretation that Kavasuki is a broad hydrothermal system, with higher grade, structurally controlled lenses within a broader lower grade mineralized envelope."
"A key objective of the current program is to resolve the geological and structural framework at Kavasuki, which has not previously been systematically defined. The drilling completed to date is improving our understanding of vein orientation, continuity, fault controls and the likely positions of higher-grade mineralization. When KVH-05 is viewed alongside KVH-03 and KVH-04, the results continue to support a coherent mineralized system with clear indications of scale. Our strategy is to determine the lateral and depth extents of the system which will simultaneously be testing the chargeability anomaly before moving along strike to test the broader chargeability anomaly and corridor."
The Wild Dog Project hosts a 15-kilometre-long structurally controlled mineral corridor containing multiple epithermal gold targets and porphyry copper-gold potential identified through recent MobileMT geophysical surveys. The corridor contains the Sinivit-Kavasuki vein system and multiple advanced targets including Kasie Ridge, which are now being systematically drill-tested as part of the Company's 2026 exploration program (Figure 1).
Figure 1: Long section (looking west) of the Sinivit-Kavasuki system demonstrating ~3 km of mineralized strike within the 15 km Wild Dog Structural Corridor, including key drill intercepts and open extensions. Insert map shows the position of the Sinivit-Kavasuki system within the broader corridor and target pipeline.
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KVH-05 Drilling Update
Drill hole KVH-05 was designed to test the down-dip extension of mineralization intersected in KVH-04 and to improve the Company's understanding of the continuity, geometry and variability of the main Kavasuki vein system.
KVH-05 intersected significant quartz-carbonate veining, silicification and hydrothermal brecciation, consistent with the alteration and veining styles observed in earlier Kavasuki holes (Figure 3 and Figure 4). Assay results returned broad low-grade mineralization, including 29.50 meters @ 0.45 g/t AuEq from 15.20 meters. Results from the second half of the hole are still pending.
Figure 2: Cross section (+/-25 m looking NE) of the Kavasuki vein system showing recent drilling and planned follow-up drill holes designed to test the interpreted west-dipping structure and evaluate continuity of mineralization.
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Figure 3: KVH-05 drill core (3.60-6.40 m) showing oxidized quartz-carbonate veining with associated hydrothermal breccia.
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Figure 4: KVH-05 drill core (27.34-29.93 m) showing strong, continuous quartz-carbonate veining and localized hydrothermal brecciation.
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KVH-06 - Current Drilling to Resolve Structure and Depth Potential
Drill hole KVH-06 is currently in progress and has reached approximately 90 meters downhole. The hole is designed to follow up on observations from KVH-05 and further refine the geological and structural interpretation of the Kavasuki system. Key objectives include assessing lateral continuity of mineralisation, evaluating grade variability, and testing the presence and influence of potential flat-lying structures and their relationship to mineralisation.
Drilling progress has been impacted in the past few weeks due to adverse weather conditions associated with Tropical Cyclone Maila, which tracked through the Solomon Sea during April. The system brought significantly elevated rainfall across Papua New Guinea, resulting in access constraints, track deterioration, and reduced drilling efficiency during this period.
KVH-07 - Testing Western Extents and Intrusive-Related Controls
Drill hole KVH-07 has been designed as a step-out hole to test the western extents of the Kavasuki system and evaluate whether veining and silicification continue beyond the area of current drilling.
The hole is planned to assess mineralization beneath a newly identified intrusive sill and determine whether the main mineralized structure continues through, is offset by, or is locally influenced by this intrusive body.
KVH-07 is an important step in evaluating the lateral extent of the Kavasuki system and testing whether mineralization continues across different structural and lithological domains. Results from this hole will assist in determining whether the system can be expanded westward and whether additional structural positions may host higher-grade mineralization.
Updated Targeting and Drilling Strategy
The Company's updated drilling strategy at Kavasuki is focused on resolving the geometry, scale and structural controls of the mineralized system before wider step-out drilling is undertaken.
Recent drilling has improved confidence that the main vein system dips to the northwest, with mineralization occurring within a broader zone of silicification, veining and hydrothermal brecciation. This improved understanding has resulted in a refinement of drill orientations and hole placement to better test the interpreted geometry of the system.
The updated targeting model also incorporates geophysical and geochemical data, including a broad chargeability anomaly at Kavasuki and historic surface trenching that identified gold anomalism to the northwest of current drilling. These datasets suggest potential for depth extensions, lateral continuation of veining and possible structural offsets to the main mineralized trend. The current program is being advanced using a systematic step-down and step-out approach. The objective is to test vertical continuity, resolve structural controls, identify potential offsets and vector toward higher-grade zones within the broader mineralized envelope.
An additional six drill holes totalling approximately 900 meters are planned as part of the updated Kavasuki program.
On behalf of Great Pacific Gold:
Greg McCunn
Chief Executive Officer and Director
For further information, visit gpacgold.com or contact:
Investor Relations
Phone +1-778-262-2331
Email: info@gpacgold.com
Table 1: Kavasuki Drill Hole Details (PNG94 UTM Zone 56 coordinates).
| Hole ID | Easting | Northing | RL | Dip | Azi | Max Depth (m) | Status |
| KVH-01 | 395247.0 | 9490673.0 | 842 | -55 | 304 | 159 | Complete |
| KVH-02 | 395248.0 | 9490672.0 | 842 | -71 | 304 | 165 | Complete |
| KVH-03 | 395178.0 | 9490701.0 | 803 | -53 | 100 | 113.7 | Complete |
| KVH-04 | 395179.4 | 9490700.5 | 803 | -72 | 100 | 91.90 | Complete |
| KVH-05 | 395155.0 | 9490728.0 | 785 | -62 | 110 | 158.0 | Complete |
| KVH-06 | 395144.9 | 9490733.8 | 784 | -58 | 310 | tbd | In Progress |
| KVH-07 | 395068.8 | 9490781.1 | 729 | -55 | 116 | tbd | Planned |
Table 2: Kavasuki Drill Hole Key Assay Results
| Hole ID | From (m) | To (m) | Interval1 (m) | Gold (g/t) | Silver (g/t) | Copper (%) | Gold Eq.2 (g/t) |
| KVH-01 | 38.60 | 97.50 | 58.9 | 2.43 | 2.75 | 0.02 | 2.50 |
| Including | 49.00 | 53.60 | 4.60 | 8.24 | 10.19 | 0.13 | 8.56 |
| KVH-01 | 100.60 | 118.70 | 18.1 | 2.08 | 1.60 | 0.03 | 2.14 |
| KVH-03 | 12.30 | 50.70 | 38.40 | 2.17 | 2.50 | 0.02 | 2.23 |
| Including | 14.27 | 16.50 | 2.23 | 10.26 | 1.33 | 0.02 | 10.31 |
| Including | 48.50 | 50.70 | 2.20 | 15.78 | 12.59 | 0.20 | 16.24 |
| KVH-04 | 8.70 | 68.60 | 59.90 | 1.33 | 1.24 | 0.05 | 1.43 |
| Including | 35.00 | 49.00 | 14.00 | 2.61 | 2.18 | 0.04 | 2.69 |
| Including | 61.10 | 68.60 | 7.50 | 2.27 | 1.99 | 0.31 | 2.78 |
| KVH-05 | 15.20 | 44.70 | 29.50 | 0.38 | 3.43 | 0.02 | 0.45 |
Notes:
- Drill highlights presented above are core lengths (true widths are not known at this time).
- Gold equivalent (AuEq) exploration results are calculated using longer-term commodity prices with a copper price of US$4.50/lb, a silver price of US$27.50/oz and a gold price of US$2,000/oz. No metallurgical testing has been carried out on Wild Dog mineralized samples. For AuEq calculations, recovery assumptions of Au 92.6%, Ag 78.0%, and Cu 94.0% were used based on K92 Mining's stated recovery results in an Updated Definitive Feasibility Study for the Kainantu mine.
Qualified Person
The technical content of this news release has been reviewed, verified and approved by Callum Spink, the Company's Vice President, Exploration, who is a member of the Australian Institute of Geoscientists, MAIG, and a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. Mr. Spink is responsible for the technical content of this news release. Mr. Spink is not independent of the Company.
Quality Assurance / Quality Control (QAQC)
The Company follows industry-standard Quality Assurance and Quality Control (QA/QC) procedures. Diamond drill core (HQ and PQ diameter) was sawn in half, with one-half submitted to Intertek Minerals Ltd. in Lae, Papua New Guinea, an ISO 9001-certified independent analytical laboratory with internationally recognized quality standards.
Gold analyses were completed by fire assay, with copper and silver initially determined by aqua regia digestion and atomic absorption and subsequently updated using four-acid digestion (MS48) multi-element analysis.
Certified reference materials (standards) and blanks were inserted into the sample stream at industry-standard frequencies, including routine insertion of blanks following mineralized intervals. All assay batches received to date have passed QA/QC review and fall within acceptable tolerance limits.
Core recoveries were within acceptable ranges, and sampling procedures were carefully managed in areas of variable ground conditions.
About Great Pacific Gold
Great Pacific Gold's vision is to become the leading gold-copper development company in Papua New Guinea ("PNG"). The Company has a portfolio of exploration-stage projects in PNG, as follows:
- Wild Dog Project: the Company's flagship project is located in the East New Britain Province of PNG. The project consists of a large-scale epithermal target, the Wild Dog structural corridor, stretching 15 km in strike length, with geophysical data suggesting significant depth extent. The survey also highlighted the Magiabe porphyry target, adjacent to the epithermal target and potentially 1,000 meters in diameter and over 2,000 meters deep. Drilling of the epithermal structure on the Sinivit deposit has yielded high-grade results, including WDG-08 which intercepted 8.4 meters at 50 g/t AuEq from 154 meters. The current drilling program will extend through 2026 with the second drill rig now operational.
- Kesar Project: located in the Eastern Highlands Province of PNG and contiguous with the mine tenements of K92 Mining Inc. ("K92"), the Kesar Project is a greenfield exploration project with several high-priority targets in close proximity to the property boundary with K92. Multiple epithermal veins at Kesar are on strike and have the same orientation as key K92 deposits, such as Kora. Exploration work to date by the Company at the Kesar Project has shown that these veins have high grades of gold present in outcrop and very elevated gold in soil grades, coincident with aeromagnetic highs. The Company conducted a diamond drill program on key target areas at the Kesar Project from November 2024 to May 2025 and have developed a follow-up Phase 2 program for 2026.
- Arau Project: also located in the Eastern Highlands Province of PNG, the Arau Project is south of and contiguous to the mine tenements of K92. Arau contains the highly prospective Mt. Victor exploration target with potential for a high sulphidation epithermal gold-base metal deposit. A Phase 1 Reverse Circulation drilling program was completed at Mt. Victor in August 2024, with encouraging results. The Arau Project includes the Elandora licence, which also contains various epithermal and copper-gold porphyry targets.
The Company also holds the Tinga Valley Project in PNG.
Forward-Looking Statements
Information set forth in this news release contains forward-looking statements that are based on assumptions as of the date of this news release. These statements reflect management's current estimates, beliefs, intentions and expectations. They are not guarantees of future performance. Great Pacific Gold cautions that all forward-looking statements are inherently uncertain and that actual performance may be affected by many material factors, most of which are beyond their respective control. Such factors include, among other things: risks and uncertainties relating to Great Pacific Gold's limited operating history, its exploration and development activities on its mineral properties and the need to comply with environmental and governmental regulations. Accordingly, actual and future events, conditions and results may differ materially from the estimates, beliefs, intentions and expectations expressed or implied in the forward-looking information. Except as required under applicable securities legislation, Great Pacific Gold does not undertake to publicly update or revise forward-looking information.
Mineralization at the properties held by K92 Mining Inc. is not necessarily indicative of mineralization at the Wild Dog Project.
Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
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Source: Great Pacific Gold Corp.
