This article was first published on RNZ.
The Waitangi Tribunal has granted iwi a hearing into the way the Fast-track Approvals Act has been used to seek approval to mine the seabed off Pātea.
Trans-Tasman Resources (TTR) has applied under the legislation to mine in the South Taranaki Bight.
South Taranaki iwi Ngāti Ruanui asked the tribunal to investigate alleged breaches of the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi in the fast-track approvals process.
Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Ruanui Trust Kaiwhakahaere Rachel Arnott said the legislation excluded iwi and hapu from meaningful engagement when it mattered most.
“The government has failed comprehensively under fast-track to consult with tangata whenua, ignored the Supreme Court and is failing to apply the principles of Te Tiriti.
“Anything worth doing is worth doing right, and this government is doing it all wrong.”
The tribunal will now consider whether the government has breached Treaty of Waitangi principles and if it failed to sufficiently involve or consider rangatiratanga, kaitiakitanga and the customary rights of Ngāti Ruanui.
The tribunal stated the iwi’s claim falls within the scope of the Natural Resources and Environmental Management kaupapa inquiry.
Along with Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Ruanui, other claimant groups include:
- all hapū of Ngāruahine iwi
- their school Te Kura o Ngā Ruahine Rangi
- Ruanui hapū including Ngāti Tupaea
- Parihaka Papakainga Trust.
Groups outside Taranaki facing applications have also joined, including Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Porou ki Hauraki.
All eight Taranaki iwi have publicly opposed the seabed mining project.
In May, Ngā Iwi o Taranaki released a statement on behalf of the eight post-settlement governance entity iwi of Taranaki, voicing their support for South Taranaki iwi in their opposition to seabed mining off the coast of Pātea.
By Te Manu Kohiri of RNZ.
