Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - January 19, 2026) - Rua Gold Inc. (TSXV: RUA) (OTCQB: NZAUF) (WKN: A40QYC) ("RUA GOLD" or the "Company") is pleased to provide an exploration update on its Auld Creek gold-antimony project in the Reefton Goldfield, New Zealand, and to outline the key permitting catalysts for 2026.

Highlights:

• The Company is ramping up permitting related activities, targeting inclusion on the list of projects eligible for New Zealand’s FAST TRACK process in the first half of 2026

• Highlighted assay results from Auld Creek include:

  • ACDDH050: 3.0m @ 21.27 g/t AuEq¹ (4.5 g/t Au & 3.9% Sb) from 137m

    • Including 2.0m @ 27.4 g/t AuEq¹ (5.2 g/t Au & 5.5% Sb)

  • ACDDH055: 3.4m @ 4.18 g/t AuEq¹ (2.6 g/t Au & 0.4% Sb) from 152.7m

  • ACDDH056: 5.1m @ 7.27g/t AuEq¹ (5.3 g/t Au & 0.5% Sb) from 240.4

• Three drill rigs are operating from January, accelerating progress and testing extensions 400m north of the Fraternal lode and 250m northwest of the Bonanza lode.

• Further drilling has increased the strike length of the deposit a further 250m to 870m length, remains open along strike to the north and at depth via plunging ore shoots.

• Scout drilling is being mobilized to test the full 2,500m strike length of the surface gold-arsenic-antimony soil geochemical anomalies.

• RSC Consulting has been engaged to prepare an updated NI 43-101 Reefton Technical Report, scheduled to be published in February 2026 and incorporating drilling to date.

• Tendering underway for works to support a Preliminary Economic Assessment (“PEA”).January 19, 2026.

Encouraging new mineral intersections confirm expansion of the Auld Creek system beyond 870m (Fraternal lode), with mineralization remaining open to the north and unconstrained at depths exceeding 320m. A third drill rig is scheduled to commence drilling by the end of January, accelerating resource development and testing anomalies directly along strike of both the Fraternal and Bonanza lodes.

The Company has significantly advanced permitting activities in the region and is targeting submission of a Fast Track referral application in the first half of 2026. Consultant and stakeholder site visits commenced in December 2025, with the majority of the independent advisors scheduled to visit the Auld Creek site and surrounding areas in January 2026.

Robert Eckford, CEO of RUA GOLD, commented: "Auld Creek continues to be a cornerstone asset for the Company. Ongoing drilling is expanding both the scale and confidence of the mineralized system as we advance toward mine permitting.

We intend to use the FAST TRACK legislation for the Auld Creek gold-antimony project, with the objective of bringing New Zealand's largest known antimony deposit into production. Our confidence in this permitting regime was reinforced by the approval of OceanaGold's Wharekirauponga gold-silver project in December 2025."

Figure 1: Overview of the Reefton Goldfield.

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FAST TRACK PROCESS ADVANCING

RUA GOLD is actively progressing permitting related activities on the West Coast of New Zealand, with the team targeting submission of a Fast Track referral application in the first half of 2026.

Engagement with our local Maori stakeholders, Te Runanga o Ngāti Waewae has been ongoing with respect to exploration activities and future development plans. Ngāti Waewae are strong supporters of the project and will work closely with the Company throughout the Fast Track process, including assisting with cultural impact assessments.

The mine concept design was completed in 2025 by engineering firm AMC Consultants, and the Company is currently tendering works to support the upcoming PEA. Community and regulatory consultations have commenced and will intensify throughout 2026. Subject to a successful referral application, the Company is targeting submission of the Fast Track application by the end of 2026.

AULD CREEK EXPLORATION UPDATE

The 2025 systematic drill program was designed to expand the scale of known mineralization and enhance confidence in the geological and resource model. Drilling has successfully demonstrated strike continuity of the Fraternal lode over 870m, with mineralization remaining open to the north and unconstrained at depth.

A central portion of the structure remains untested; the expansion to three drill rigs and implementation of double-shift operations will allow this zone to be tested in the first quarter of 2026.

Figure 2: Auld Creek Fraternal long section

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Drilling and geological interpretation indicate that higher-grade mineralized shoots persist in a sub-vertical orientation. Drilling in 2026 will focus on extending these shoots at depth and infilling the resource envelope over its 870m strike length.

Assay results show:

• ACDDH040: 0.8m @ 2.6 g/t Au & 0.5% Sb
• ACDDH047: 3.0m @ 2.7 g/t Au
• ACDDH047: 7.0m @ 1.34 g/t Au
• ACDDH050: 3.0m @ 4.5 g/t Au & 3.9% Sb
• ACDDH055: 3.4m @ 2.6 g/t Au & 0.4% Sb
• ACDDH056: 5.1m @ 5.3 g/t Au & 0.5% Sb

ACDDH041, ACDD042, ACDDH043, ACDDH044, ACDDH045, ACDDH046, ACDDH048, ACDDH049, ACDDH051 and ACDDH057 intercepted the structure, with only weak mineralization.

Collectively, these results materially advance the Company's understanding of the Auld Creek system, demonstrating its scale and structural continuity, and provide clear vectors to guide subsequent drilling focused on expanding higher-grade mineralization along plunge to the north and at depth, where drilling to date has not yet exceeded 320m vertically. Comparable orogenic gold-antimony deposits commonly demonstrate continuity of mineralisation well beyond 1,000m vertically.

MAPPING AND SURFACE GEOCHEMISTRY

Fraternal Lode

Surface gold-arsenic-antimony soil anomalism demonstrates that the Fraternal lode extends at least 400m to the north, with soil tenor comparable to the main Auld Creek resource zone. Regional soil gold-arsenic-antimony geochemistry demonstrates a mineralised structure exceeding 2,000m in length.

The third rig introduced in January 2026 will conduct scout drilling along this strike length of the Fraternal lode during the first half of 2026.

Bonanza Lode

Surface geological mapping guided by strongly anomalous gold-arsenic antimony soil sampling has identified strong mineralised quartz veining 250m northwest of the Bonanza lode, extending its stroke length from 350m to 600m. This area will be a priority drilling target in Q1 2026.

Figure 3: Location of Auld Creek drilling relative to 2,000m strike extent seen in the surface geochemistry.

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REGIONAL OPPORTUNITIES

Auld Creek represents one of at least six known occurrences of gold-antimony with high-grade gold-antimony in insitu rock chips and historical underground workings stretched over a known 30km length in the Reefton Goldfield covered by Rua Gold's permits. A fourth drill rig continues to evaluation high-priority gold targets beyond Auld Creek.

ABOUT RUA GOLD

RUA GOLD is an exploration company, strategically focused on New Zealand. With decades of expertise, our team has successfully taken major discoveries into producing world-class mines across multiple continents. The team is now 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 tenements, in a district that historically produced over 2Moz of gold grading between 9 and 50g/t.

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 15Moz of gold and 60Moz of silver. Glamorgan is adjacent to OceanaGold Corporation's biggest gold mining development project, Wharekirauponga, which is now fully permitted and under construction.

For further information, please refer to the Company's disclosure record on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca.

TECHNICAL INFORMATION

Simon Henderson CP, AUSIMM, a qualified person under National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects and Chief Operating Officer and a director of RUA GOLD, has reviewed and approved the technical disclosure contained herein. Mr. Henderson has participated in the geochemical sampling, and mapping programs to verify that they have been conducted in accordance with standard operating procedures. Mr. Henderson has verified the data disclosed by running checks on the location, analytical, and test data underlying the information or opinions in the technical disclosure herein.

QA/QC Drill Core

Core samples were sent to SGS Laboratories, Westport for sample preparation. SGS is independent of the Company. Samples were crushed and pulverized to 85% passing 75 µm. The pulverized rock-chips were split into two samples: a ~50 g sent for laboratory analysis, and the reject returned to RGL for pXRF analysis and storage. Pulverized rock-chip samples were analyzed for gold (Au) by 50-g fire assay with AAS finish at SGS Waihi (SGS Code FAA505); and for antimony (Sb) by Sodium Peroxide Fusion Analysis by ICP-MS at SGS Waihi.

QA/QC Soil and Rock Samples

Samples were crushed to 75% passing 2 mm (SGS code CRU75) and pulverised to 85% passing 75 µm (SGS code PUL85_CR). The pulverised rock-chips were split into two samples: a ~50 g sent for laboratory analysis, and the reject returned to RUA GOLD for pXRF analysis and storage. Rock chip samples are selective by their nature, and not necessarily indicative of mineralization throughout the project.

This news release includes certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements". All statements in this new release, other than statements of historical facts, that address events or developments that the Company expects to occur, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects", "plans", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "projects", "potential" and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will", "would", "may", "could" or "should" occur and specifically include statements regarding: the Company's strategies, expectations, planned operations or future actions, including but not limited to exploration programs at its Reefton and Glamorgan projects and the results thereof. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements.

Investors are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. A variety of inherent risks, uncertainties and factors, many of which are beyond the Company's control, affect the operations, performance and results of the Company and its business, and could cause actual events or results to differ materially from estimated or anticipated events or results expressed or implied by forward looking statements. Some of these risks, uncertainties and factors include: general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties; risks related to the effects of the Russia-Ukraine war; risks related to climate change; operational risks in exploration, delays or changes in plans with respect to exploration projects or capital expenditures; the actual results of current exploration activities; conclusions of economic evaluations; changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined; changes in labour costs and other costs and expenses or equipment or processes to operate as anticipated, accidents, labour disputes and other risks of the mining industry, including but not limited to environmental hazards, flooding or unfavorable operating conditions and losses, insurrection or war, delays in obtaining governmental approvals or financing, and commodity prices. This list is not exhaustive of the factors that may affect any of the Company's forward-looking statements and reference should also be made to the Company's short form base shelf prospectus dated July 11, 2024, and the documents incorporated by reference therein, filed under its SEDAR+ profile at www.sedarplus.ca for a description of additional risk factors.

Forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of the Company's management on the date the statements are made. Except as required by applicable securities laws, the Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements in the event that management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change.

Table 1: Location of Auld Creek drill holes from RUA 2024-2025 program

Table 2: Significant drilling intercepts at Auld Creek, full mineralized zone composites.

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