Nova Pacific Reports Final Assay Results from Phase 1 Drilling at the Lara VMS Project

Vancouver, British Columbia–(Newsfile Corp. – October 8, 2025) – Nova Pacific Metals Corp. (CSE: NVPC) (OTCQB: NVPCF) (FSE: YQ10) (WKN: A40GFH) (“Nova Pacific” or the “Company“) is pleased to report the final batch of assay results from seven drillholes totalling 2,228 metres completed during the Company’s 8,660-metre Phase 1 drill program at the Coronation area of the Lara VMS Project. The Lara Project spans a 17-km belt of the McLaughlin Ridge Formation, a correlative volcanic sequence that hosts the past-producing Myra Falls VMS Mine, a long-life operation located 140 km to the northwest.

Phase 1 drilling at Coronation has validated key aspects of Nova Pacific’s exploration model and is expected to support a Mineral Resource Estimate targeted for the fourth quarter of 2025.

• Highlights from the Phase 1 drill program include:

  • Hole NP25-001¹ intersected 17.64 m grading 1.9 g/t AuEq or 4.3% ZnEq (0.7 g/t Au, 1.25% Zn, 17.7 g/t Ag, 0.29% Cu, 0.18% Pb) from 86.6 m downhole

  • Hole NP25-002¹ intersected 9.0 m grading 2.1 g/t AuEq or 5.3% ZnEq (0.9 g/t Au, 1.30% Zn, 28.3 g/t Ag, 0.36% Cu, 0.19% Pb) from 84.75 m downhole

  • Hole NP25-004¹ intersected 16.2 m grading 3.3 g/t AuEq or 8.6% ZnEq (1.5 g/t Au, 2.17% Zn, 53.5 g/t Ag, 0.42% Cu, 0.52% Pb) from 85 m downhole, including 11.1 g/t AuEq or 26.37% ZnEq (7.6 g/t Au, 2.51% Zn, 58.0 g/t Ag, 1.70% Cu, and 0.81% Pb)

  • Hole NP25-005² intersected 11 m grading 1.8 g/t AuEq or 4.3% ZnEq (1.1 g/t Au, 0.55% Zn, 17.8 g/t Ag, 0.26% Cu, 0.18% Pb) from 135 m downhole, and 8.33 m grading 1.0 g/t AuEq or 2.3% ZnEq (0.8 g/t Au, 13.4 g/t Ag) from 80 m downhole, and 1 m grading 2.7 g/t AuEq or 6.9% ZnEq (1.2 g/t Au, 1.76% Zn, 61 g/t Ag, 0.08% Cu, 0.95% Pb) from 89 m downhole

  • NP25-014³ intersected 11 m grading 5.1 g/t AuEq or 13% ZnEq (2.5 g/t Au, 3% Zn, 82 g/t Ag, 0.23% Cu, 0.16% Pb) from 233 m downhole, including 1 m grading 20.5 g/t AuEq or 50.2% ZnEq (12.1 g/t Au, 7.02% Zn, 498 g/t Ag, 1.20% Cu, 0.61% Pb)

  • NP25-027³ intersected 6.05 m grading 4.0 g/t AuEq or 10.5% ZnEq (2.0 g/t Au, 3.31% Zn, 40 g/t Ag, 0.44% Cu, 0.62% Pb) from 45.45 m downhole

  • NP25-029³ intersected 10 m grading 2.5 g/t AuEq or 6.1% ZnEq (1.7 g/t Au, 0.61% Zn, 26 g/t Ag, 0.35% Cu, 0.08% Pb) from 100 m downhole

  • NP25-037³ intersected 10.5 m grading 1.8 g/t AuEq or 4.3% ZnEq (0.7 g/t Au, 0.45% Zn, 27 g/t Ag, 0.14% Cu, 0.25% Pb) from 119.5 m downhole
    
    (All intervals are downhole lengths. True width is estimated between 75% and 89%, based upon historical data. AuEq and ZnEq are provided for illustrative purposes only. See Table 1, footnote 4 for calculation parameters.)

• Compilation and digitization of Lara’s historical information and data set are underway to support evaluation of mineralized zones beyond Coronation.

Nova Pacific’s CEO, Sam Eskandari, stated, “Phase 1 drilling results have generally been consistent with – and in many cases have exceeded – the historical dataset at Coronation. With an initial Mineral Resource Estimate targeted before year-end, we’re confident that the Coronation Zone continues to provide a strong foundation for Nova Pacific’s growth. Equally exciting, this milestone opens the door for the Company to advance into additional zones across Lara that remain largely underexplored – including the Lady A and Lady C zones – which we see as compelling opportunities to potentially expand the resource base and unlock growth beyond Coronation.”

Two of the drillholes reported in this release (summarized in Tables 1 and 2) were drilled from section line C4 identified in Figures 1, 2, and 3, to evaluate an area of known mineralization (hole NP25-013) and to test a prospective extension (hole NP25-016) in the central portion of the Coronation Zone. Both drillholes encountered the Coronation Zone at downhole locations consistent with the model at grades higher than nearby historical drilling. All other drillholes reported in this news release were intended to test gaps or prospective down-plunge extensions to historical mineralization in the Company’s exploration model. The following provides context on the objectives and results for each hole within this target area:

• NP25-013: Intersected the Coronation Zone at the anticipated downhole position, with true width consistent with expectations but higher than expected grades: 4 m grading 1.3 g/t Au Eq (3.3% ZnEq) from 271 m downhole in strongly altered rhyodacite hosting disseminated and banded chalcopyrite.

• NP25-016: Intersected the Coronation Zone near the anticipated downhole position, with true width and grades slightly exceeding expectations: 6 m grading 0.9 g/t AuEq (2.6% ZnEq) from 278 m downhole in strongly altered rhyodacite hosting disseminated wispy sphalerite, galena, and minor chalcopyrite, and a 2 m interval grading 0.5 g/t AuEq (1.4% ZnEq) from 299 m downhole.

Drillhole NP25-012, drilled from the western side of the Coronation Zone, targeted a gap in the model and did not encounter any significant intersections. Drillholes NP25-028, 032, and 034, drilled from the eastern side of the Coronation Zone, and targeting prospective down plunge extensions to historical mineralization in the Company’s exploration model, did not encounter any significant intersections.

Advancing Lara’s Regional Exploration Potential Through Evaluation of Additional Targets

Coronation is 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 dataset that includes 323 drillholes totalling 58,262 m of drilling.

In addition to drilling at Coronation, the Company has compiled the historical dataset and continues organizing and digitizing the most relevant portions to better understand the historical work and guide future exploration across the Lara Project. This process will help refine field programs planned for later this year and next, including mapping, systematic sampling, and target generation across the broader property.

Although the Coronation area has attracted most of the historical work, Nova Pacific has begun evaluating other 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, British Columbia. 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, multi-element 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, P.Geo., Jeremy Link, M.Eng., P.Eng., and Greg Mosher, M.Sc., P.Geo. of Mineit Consulting Inc., 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, P.Geo., of Tripoint Geological Services Ltd.

Rights of Indigenous Communities

Nova Pacific 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

Nova Pacific Metals Corp. is a Canadian exploration and development company advancing the Lara Volcanogenic Massive Sulfide (VMS) Project on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. The Company has an option to acquire a 100% interest in the Lara Project, which hosts a 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.

For additional information please visit: www.novapacificmetals.com

On behalf of the Board of Directors

Sam Eskandari, CEO

The Canadian Securities Exchange has not in any way passed upon the merits of the matters referenced herein and has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this news release.

Forward-Looking Information

Certain statements contained in this news release may constitute forward‐looking information including, without limitation, statements regarding the Company’s exploration plans. Forward‐looking information is often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as “anticipate”, “plan”, “estimate”, “expect”, “may”, “will”, “intend”, “should”, and similar expressions. Forward‐looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those anticipated in such forward‐looking information. The Company believes that the expectations reflected in the forward‐looking information are reasonable, but no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct and such forward‐looking information should not be unduly relied upon. The Company’s actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in this forward‐looking information.

Forward looking information in this news release includes, but is not limited to, the Company’s objectives, goals or future plans; statements regarding exploration results, potential mineralization, the potential to expand mineralization, including through step-out drilling targeting down-plunge extensions, or verification of historical drilling results; the success of the new structural interpretation in guiding exploration and identifying new mineralization; the Company’s plans to execute and complete its Phase 1 exploration program including the completion of a current mineral resource estimate; statements regarding compilation, organization, and digitization of historical datasets; expectations that such datasets can be relied upon and will meaningfully contribute to future exploration targeting; statements regarding field programs planned for later this year and next; exploration and mine development plans; statements regarding regional exploration potential and the ability to develop exploration targets, drill targets, and define resources; the establishment of mutually beneficial partnerships with Indigenous communities; and the timing of the commencement of operations and estimates of market conditions. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from such forward-looking information include, but are not limited to, failure to intersect potentially economic intervals of mineralization; uncertainties related to the geological continuity, potential mineralization, and extent of down-plunge mineralization, which may not yield economically viable results; uncertainties in the accuracy of the new structural model, which may not accurately predict mineralization locations or continuity; additional mineralized zones may not contain economically viable mineralization due to geological complexity or insufficient drilling data; risks that historical drilling data may be incomplete, inaccurate, or insufficient to support a current mineral resource estimate; risks that the compilation, organization, or digitization of historical datasets may not be completed in a timely manner or may not provide useful information; risks that field programs may be reduced, delayed, or may not proceed at all; delays in assay processing or data validation issues; failure to identify mineral resources; the preliminary nature of metallurgical test results; delays in obtaining or failures to obtain required governmental, environmental or other project approvals; political risks; inability to fulfill the duty to accommodate First Nations and other Indigenous peoples; uncertainties relating to the availability and costs of financing needed in the future; changes in equity markets; inflation; changes in exchange rates; fluctuations in commodity prices; delays in the development of projects; capital and operating costs varying significantly from estimates; and the other risks involved in the mineral exploration and development industry. Although the Company believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking information in this news release are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information, which only applies as of the date of this news release, and no assurance can be given that such events will occur in the disclosed time frames or at all. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward‐looking information whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities legislation. 

Table 1: Lara VMS Project – Coronation area assay results in this release

1. Intervals are reported over a minimum downhole length of 2 m at a minimum length-weighted grade of 0.5 g/t AuEq, allowing for up to 2 m of consecutive internal dilution below cut-off.
2. High-grade intercepts reported as any continuous interval with grades greater than 10 g/t AuEq. No assays were capped.
3. Interval refers to down-hole lengths. True width (“TW”) is estimated to be 90% to 91% of interval based upon historical drilling data.
4. AuEq (gold equivalent) and ZnEq (zinc equivalent) values are provided for illustrative purposes. AuEq and ZnEq combine gold, zinc, silver, copper, and lead, with contributions from secondary metals calculated net of assumed metallurgical recoveries using deposit-average recovery value assumptions provided by Mineit Consulting Inc. of 86% for gold, 73% for zinc, 84% for silver, 95% for copper, and 96% for lead. Metal prices reflect three-year trailing averages of $2,200/oz gold, $1.25/lb Zn, $25.50/oz silver, $3.95/lb copper, and $0.95/lb lead. The resultant AuEq formula is AuEq [g/t] = Au [g/t] + 1.168 × Cu [%] + 0.285 × Pb [%] + 0.285 × Zn [%] + 0.0097 × Ag [g/t]. The resulting ZnEq formula is ZnEq [%] = Zn [%] + 1.223 × Cu [%] + 0.391 × Pb [%] + 0.034 × Au [g/t] + 0.0077 × Ag [g/t].

Table 2: Lara VMS Project – Drillhole collars reported in this release (EPSG:3157)

Figure 1: Lara VMS Project – Coronation area Phase 1 drillhole locations

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Figure 2: Lara VMS Project – Section C4 drillholes reported in this news release

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Figure 3: Lara VMS Project – Geological section C4 looking N030°

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¹ See Nova Pacific news release dated June 24, 2025
² See Nova Pacific news release dated July 15, 2025
³ See Nova Pacific news release dated August 26, 2025

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