Mr. Sam Eskandari reports

NOVA PACIFIC REPORTS BEST DRILL RESULTS TO DATE, INCLUDING 5.1 G/T AUEQ OVER 11 M

Nova Pacific Metals Corp. has released assay results from six drill holes totalling 1,813 metres, as part of its recently completed 8,660-metre phase 1 exploration drilling campaign at the Coronation area of its Lara VMS project on Vancouver Island. The Lara project spans a 17-kilometre belt of the McLaughlin Ridge formation, which is correlative with the volcanic package that hosts the past-producing Myra Falls VMS (volcanogenic massive sulphide) mine, approximately 140 km to the northwest.

• Highlights from Table 1 include:
  • NP25-014 intersected 11 m grading 5.1 grams per tonne AuEq (gold equivalent) or 13 per cent ZnEq (zinc equivalent) (2.5 g/t Au, 3 per cent Zn, 82 g/t Ag (silver), 0.23 per cent Cu (copper), 0.16 per cent Pb (lead)) from 233 m down hole, including one m grading 20.5 g/t AuEq or 50.2 per cent ZnEq (12.1 g/t Au, 7.02 per cent Zn, 498 g/t Ag, 1.20 per cent Cu and 0.61 per cent Pb).
  • NP25-009 intersected 5.35 m grading 1.8 g/t AuEq or 4.5 per cent ZnEq (1.0 g/t Au, 0.99 per cent Zn, 18 g/t Ag, 0.23 per cent Cu and 0.16 per cent Pb) from 212 m down hole.
  • NP25-041 intersected 12.9 m grading 0.7 g/t AuEq or 1.8 per cent ZnEq (0.3 g/t Au, 0.58 per cent Zn, 6 g/t Ag, 0.16 per cent Cu, 0.02 per cent Pb) from 288.1 m down hole.
• (All intervals are down-hole lengths. True width estimated between 54 per cent and 93 per cent based upon historical data. AuEq and ZnEq are provided for illustrative purposes only. See Table 1, footnote 4, for calculation parameters.)
• Assays from 10 drill holes are pending, including three stepout holes.
• Mineral resource estimate is targeted for Q4 2025.

"NP25-014 is our strongest intercept to date, and the strength of these results continues to reinforce the potential of the Lara VMS project," said Sam Eskandari, chief executive officer of Nova Pacific Metals. "We're seeing better-than-expected grades in portions of the Coronation deposit. These results are a compelling validation of our exploration model and a strong indication of the system's potential for expansion. With additional holes still pending, including stepouts, we anticipate steady news flow as we advance toward our first resource estimate, targeted for the fourth quarter of this year."

Assay results from 10 drill holes are pending

Nova Pacific has concluded its phase 1 drill program at the Coronation area, with 36 holes completed. To date, results from 23 holes (5,435 m) have been reported and assay results from 10 holes (3,225 m) are pending. The company is advancing toward its planned mineral resource estimate, targeted for the fourth quarter of this year.

Summary of drill results

While assay results have only been reported for roughly two-thirds of the program, they broadly continue to validate the company's exploration model and are generally consistent with, or better than, historical drilling in these portions of the Coronation deposit. This provides encouraging support for the verification of the historical data set. In addition, the program continues to yield valuable geological information that will refine the company's interpretation, expand orebody knowledge and identify opportunities for potential mineralized extensions.

The drill holes reported in this release, summarized in tables 1 and 2, are located along the section line C2 near the end of this news release. The following provides context on the objectives and results for each hole within this target area.

Section C2

• NP25-014: The best intercept of the program to date, returning significantly stronger-than-expected results over a longer-than-expected interval: Eleven m grading 5.1 g/t AuEq (13 per cent ZnEq) from 233 m down hole within quartz-sericite altered rhyolite, including one m grading 20.5 g/t AuEq (50.2 per cent ZnEq).
• NP25-009: A stepout hole intended to test for a down-plunge extension and to fill a gap in the model. The hole intersected banded sulphide veins within altered rhyolite, returning 5.35 m grading 1.8 g/t AuEq (4.5 per cent ZnEq) from 212 m down hole.
• NP25-041: A stepout hole intended to close a gap in the model intersected a longer-than-expected interval of mineralization with grades consistent with nearby mineralization: 12.9 m grading 0.7 g/t AuEq (1.8 per cent ZnEq) from 288.1 m down hole. The mineralized zone was encountered immediately after a fault zone, within highly sheared and deformed quartz-sericite altered rhyolite containing sulphide veins.
• NP25-011: An exploration hole drilled to test for mineralization outside the margins of the current model. While no significant intersections were reported in Table 1, the hole did return 1.1 m grading 5.9 g/t AuEq (36.8 per cent ZnEq) within a massive sulphide lens that terminated in a brittle fault, which may positively impact the model.

NP25-015 and NP25-021 were stepout holes drilled from section line C2. NP25-015 targeted a potential down-plunge extension of known mineralization and intersected favourable alteration within rhyolite but did not return any significant intervals. NP25-021 was designed to test for a down-plunge extension of the eastern margins of the Coronation zone and to collect structural data in an interpreted splay between the Coronation and Extensions zones. This hole did not return any significant intervals.

Current mineral resource estimate targeted for Q4 2025

The phase 1 exploration program is intended to verify up to 39,092 m of historical drilling across 245 holes in the Coronation area of the Lara project, which previously supported a historical mineral resource estimate. The company cautions that the historical estimate for the Coronation area is not a current mineral resource or reserve under National Instrument 43-101 -- Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects, as a qualified person (QP) has not done sufficient work to classify it as such, and it should not be relied upon. The company intends to verify historical drilling data through its phase 1 exploration program to support a current mineral resource estimate, which is targeted for Q4 2025, subject to the timely receipt of final assay results. In anticipation of this, Mineit Consulting Inc. has been engaged to prepare an updated technical report for the Lara project, under the supervision of Greg Mosher, MSc, PGeo.

Advancing Lara's regional exploration potential through evaluation of additional targets

Coronation is just one of several high-priority targets within Nova Pacific's 17-kilometre VMS belt on Vancouver Island. The belt lies within the prospective McLaughlin Ridge formation, a correlative volcanic sequence that hosts the past-producing Myra Falls VMS mine and remains underexplored despite favourable geology and nearby infrastructure. The Lara project spans 19 mineral claims covering 47 square kilometres, with an unverified historical data set that includes 323 drill holes totalling 58,262 m of drilling.

Although the Coronation area has attracted most of the historical work, Nova Pacific has begun evaluating six additional mineralized zones across the property, many of which contain historical drill holes. These zones are largely untested and form a key part of the company's strategy to define resources at the Lara project beyond the Coronation area. Field programs, including mapping, systematic sampling and historical data compilation, will be used to refine targets and support future drilling. The potential for lens stacking and stratigraphic clustering, characteristic of VMS camps, further strengthens the broader exploration thesis.

Sampling, quality assurance and quality control

All drill core is logged by a geologist, photographed and cut in half at Nova Pacific's core facility near Nanaimo, B.C. One-half of the core is bagged and sent to ALS Canada Ltd. (ALS) in North Vancouver for analysis, while the other half is retained on site as a witness sample. ALS North Vancouver is ISO/IEC 17025 accredited, and all samples are analyzed using industry-standard fire assay, multielement ICP methods following four-acid digestion, and, where applicable, overlimit assays for high grade. In addition to the laboratory's QA/QC practices, certified reference materials, blanks and duplicates are inserted into the sample stream at regular intervals to monitor analytical accuracy. Only results that meet Nova Pacific's QA/QC protocols are reported.

Qualified person

The pertinent scientific and technical information contained in this news release has been reviewed and approved by David Nelles, PGeo, Jeremy Link, MEng, PEng, and Greg Mosher, MSc, PGeo, of Mineit Consulting, each of whom is a consultant of the company and a qualified person as defined by NI 43-101. Exploration and technical programs at the Lara project are managed by Mr. Link and Darcy Vis, PGeo, of Tripoint Geological Services Ltd.

Rights of indigenous communities statement

Nova Pacific Metals recognizes the inherent rights of all indigenous peoples of Canada and is committed to early, meaningful and respectful engagement with first nations communities. The company acknowledges that its Lara project is located on the traditional, ancestral and unceded territories of the Hul'qumi'num Treaty Group, a politically unified group representing six Hul'qumi'num-speaking first nations: Cowichan, Stz'uminus, Penelakut, Lyackson, Halalt and Lake Cowichan.

Nova Pacific pursues early consultation and meaningful engagement with first nations communities to ensure that the company's mineral exploration and development activities are aligned with local priorities, values and cultural protocols, while optimizing opportunities for collaboration. In particular, the company seeks to establish mutually beneficial partnerships with indigenous groups within whose traditional territories the company's projects are located. All work programs are carefully planned to achieve high levels of environmental and social performance, while advancing reconciliation and economic opportunities within indigenous communities.

About Nova Pacific Metals corp.

Nova Pacific Metals is a Canadian exploration and development company advancing the Lara Volcanogenic massive sulphide (VMS) project on Vancouver Island, B.C. The company has an option to acquire a 100-per-cent interest in the Lara project, which hosts a significant historical mineral resource enriched with critical and precious metals and is strategically located near key infrastructure. Nova Pacific's strategy includes verification and exploration drilling to support a current mineral resource, with additional technical and exploration studies under consideration. The company is committed to creating value for its shareholders while supporting environmental responsibility and strong community relationships.

We seek Safe Harbor.