Seabed Mining Withdrawal Is A Win For The Moana But We’re Not Done – Te Pati Maori

Te Pati Māori Co-leader says, “Today we take the win.

Trans-Tasman Resources has withdrawn its Fast-track application to mine the seabed in the South Taranaki Bight. That is the result of years of fierce resistance from iwi, hapū, environmental advocates, legal teams, and whānau who refused to let our moana be sacrificed.

This victory belongs to our people. It belongs to those who went all the way to the Supreme Court. It belongs to the protectors of the moana who never backed down”.

“Let’s not be distracted”

“On the very same day this application was withdrawn, Shane Jones announced an $80 million “critical minerals” package opening the door for extractive industries under a new banner. And make no mistake vanadium and titanium, the very minerals Trans-Tasman Resources was targeting in the South Taranaki Bight sit comfortably inside Shane Jones “critical minerals” framing.”

“Be warned Shane Jones will let them rebrand, regroup and reapply.”

“Our moana is not a testing ground for extractive ventures at the expense of our environment. It is a taonga future generations.”

“That’s why I have introduced a Member’s Bill to all representatives of the house calling to permanently ban seabed mining in Aotearoa because temporary withdrawals are not enough. Permanent protection means no future government, no rebranded application, and no new minerals package can open that door again.”

“Today we celebrate. Tomorrow, we remain vigilant.”

“And we will keep fighting until seabed mining is banned for good”