OceanaGold announces the appointment of Mr Jake Klein to the Board of<br>Directors

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MELBOURNE, Australia, Dec. 17 /CNW/ - Jim Askew, Chairman of OceanaGold Corporation (ASX: OGC, TSX: OGC, NZX: OGC) (the "Company") is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr Jacob (Jake) Klein to the Company's Board of Directors.

Mr Askew commented, "It is a pleasure to welcome Jake to the OceanaGold board. He brings a wealth of resources and banking experience in the Asia Pacific region. Jake's first-hand awareness of the opportunities and challenges faced by gold producers today along with his deep network of contacts in the region will be a tremendous addition to the Company."

Mr Klein is based in Sydney, Australia and was most recently the President and CEO of Sino Gold Limited, a company he helped found in 2000. Under Mr Klein's stewardship for the past nine years, Sino Gold developed from a company with a A$100 million market capitalisation into one of the largest foreign-based gold mining companies operating in China producing approximately 200,000 oz of gold in 2009 with a market capitalisation of A$2.4 billion. Most recently, Sino Gold Limited merged with Eldorado Gold Corporation to create a C$7.7 billion premier global gold producer and the unequivocal leader of foreign gold companies operating in China.

Prior to joining Sino Gold, Mr Klein worked in the banking and international finance arena in South Africa and Australia. He joined Macquarie Bank in 1991 and later in 1995 was a member of the Macquarie Bank team who participated in the formation of Asia Resource Capital Limited, a joint venture between Macquarie and China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC).

Mr Klein commented, "I am pleased to be joining the OceanaGold board. The Company has established itself as a significant gold producer in the region with a strong foundation of producing mines in New Zealand as a base from which to grow. I look forward to working with the board and management of the Company."

About OceanaGold

OceanaGold Corporation is a significant Pacific Rim gold producer with projects located on the South Island of New Zealand and in the Philippines. The Company's assets encompass New Zealand's largest gold mining operation at the Macraes complex in Otago which is made up of the Macraes open pit and the Frasers Underground mines. Additionally on the west coast of the South Island, the Company operates the Reefton open-pit mine. OceanaGold expects to produce approximately 300,000 ounces of gold from the New Zealand operations in 2009. The Company also owns the Didipio Gold-Copper Project in northern Luzon, Philippines.

OceanaGold is listed on the Toronto, Australian and New Zealand stock exchanges under the symbol OGC.

For further information: Mr Darren Klinck, Vice President, Corporate and Investor Relations, Tel: [phone]