"It is extremely rare for a small mining exploration company to...

"It is extremely rare for a small mining exploration company to take a project from the start all the way to mining. I suspect that AVZ will struggle to hold on to the project as tier 1 projects are usually snapped up by big corporations who have large capital bases."

Sorry to say this but it is your opinion based on what? Fact is AVZ already have a partner with deep pockets so your scenario is nothing but wind.

Suffice to say AVZ is in charge of the project and will take it to mining.