Melbana Energy Limited provided update with respect to the imminent drilling of the high impact Pukatea-1 exploration well in New Zealand onshore permit PEP 51153. The Operator of the PEP 51153 joint venture (Melbana 30%, TAG Oil 70% and Operator) has advised that the Nova-1 rig will be mobilised mid-January with drilling planned to commence on 23 January 2018. The Operator has completed a technical reassessment of the Pukatea-1 objectives which, in addition to the primary objective Tikorangi limestone, identified a secondary objective in the shallower Mt. Messenger sands within the Puka field. The reassessment demonstrated an increased likelihood (estimated at ~50% probability) of Pukatea-1 intersecting moveable hydrocarbons in the shallow Mt. Messenger sands within the Puka field while drilling to the deeper primary objective Tikorangi limestone. Oil was first discovered in the Mt. Messenger sands in 2012 in Puka-1 and oil was produced from Puka-1 and Puka-2 under an extended production test until January 2015, but these wells are currently shut-in.