The highly contentious question of whether an Australian company will be granted permission to mine the seabed of the Taranaki Bight appears set to be decided in March next year. Iwi, activists, scientists and politicians are locked in a fierce debate over whether seabed mining could be a lifeline for the region’s economy - or an irreversible blow to its environment.
For more than a decade, Australian-owned Trans-Tasman Resources (TTR) has sought permission to mine vast reserves of iron-rich black sand on the South Taranaki seabed. Having lost in the courts, it’s looking to the new rules for mining approval through the Fast-track Approvals Act 2024.
The company claims the project could generate $850 million in annual exports, including 1,500 Taranaki-based jobs and $190 million in taxes and royalties, making it one of New Zealand’s top dozen export earners.
But local iwi and environmentalists warn the cost could be catastrophic.
A taonga under threat
For iwi such as Ngāti Ruanui, the seabed is more than a resource; it is a taonga. Rukutai Watene says the ocean, alongside the maunga and whenua, sustains life and identity. Fishing, diving for pāua, kina and kōura, and swimming along the coast are practices meant to be passed to future generations.
“He ao ki runga ki a rātou. Mehemea ka tae mai a Trans-Tasman Resources ki te keria, ka mate tērā ao... Ko taku whakaaro, waiho te moana, waiho te moana pērā. Āpōpō ka kitea ngā uri whakatipuranga i te pai o te moana. Mehemea ka keria tēnei rā e kore he moana mō ngā tamariki āpōpō.”
One of seabed mining’s loudest champions, Resources and Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones, says hapū are “not dealing with the facts”.
“There is grossly bleak economic stats for the Māori population and many parts of Taranaki, and if this project does get the necessary consents, it may very well give a boost to Taranaki. Quite simple, really,” says Jones.
But Rachel Arnott, kaiwhakahaere of Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Ruanui Trust, disagrees.
“My response to Shane Jones himself, at the end of the day, he’s thinking about the dollar and not the hapū, not the tangata whenua, not the communities, and it’s not just about us. We have boaties, we have farmers. I would say, 90 per cent of people in this area are opposing seabed mining.”
Jobs and economic growth
Yet pressure is mounting as Taranaki’s traditional industries falter. Oil and gas are in decline, tourism is fragile, and local businesses are struggling, says Jones.
“You’ve got to bear in mind that although this is a polarising issue, it’s been exploited by Greenpeace and the hapū, in my view, are not dealing with the facts, and they’re entitled to form their views. I just have a different view, and my job is to create momentum in regional New Zealand for jobs and investment and create economic traction.”
With oil and gas winding down, shipping operator Billy Preston, of Te Ātiawa, describes the local economy as “the worst I’ve seen,” and sees seabed mining as a much-needed spark.
“You are hearing of businesses closing, companies are starting to lay off people. It’s looking pretty grim,” says Preston. “The project will add a lot of value to the region, not just to the region, but also to New Zealand. I think there’s lots of opportunity for a lot of people.”
But economist and director of policy at the NZ Council of Trade Unions, Craig Renney, says it “might do very little for local unemployment.”
“There’s 173 crew members, but again, we have no idea whether or not they’ll actually be New Zealand crew members or whether they may be from another jurisdiction. So, it’s very murky when we actually get into the numbers about what the real benefits are for New Zealand.”
Renney also has serious questions around how capital investment numbers are being presented by both the company and the government.
“Only $55 million of the $1 billion capital investment would be spent in New Zealand, and so begs questions about why are we counting that $1 billion and only a very small part of it is happening here? The majority of the investment is on vessels, on new rigs, and that’s likely to take place overseas.”
Environmental effects
If TTR’s application were to be accepted, the mining ship Trans-Tasman Resources is seeking permission to mine 66 square km of seabed, equivalent to about 1,000 football fields. It would discharge 45million tonnes of sediment back into the ocean each year, in an area between 22km and 36km offshore. TTR is seeking a 35-year consent term with the actual extraction activity taking place over a 20-year period.
Coordinator for the Deep-Sea Mining Campaign James Hita says seabed mining in the South Taranaki Bight could “be just another layer of harm and one that we don’t think the ocean can handle”.
“The noise impacts noise pollution, pollution from the sediment that gets put up into the water column and our pygmy blue whales and kororā that lose their potential habitat. That’s really scary.”
Researchers and experts alike are concerned that vulnerable reefs “teeming with life” close to the mining zone could be seriously impacted, saying the sediment plume could disturb the nearby reefs.
Oceanographer Dougal Greer says suspended sediment could reduce the amount of light that comes in through the water column.
“That light gives rise to things like photosynthesis and is the basis of the bottom of the food chain, so really important for productivity. You get sediment settling out suspension on these reefs as well, and that can smother various animals or flora and fauna, and that can cause problems too.”
Taranaki Regional Council coastal plan not included in TTR application
The discovery of vibrant reefs near the proposed mining zone is now included in the Taranaki Regional Council coastal plan, but not in TTR’s latest Fast-track application.
Project Reef co-founder Karen Pratt says research highlighted in a report by NIWA and Project Reef found a huge amount of biodiversity on the rocky reefs near the mining zone.
“You’ve got blue cod nurseries, you’ve got sponge gardens, you’ve got macro algal beds, and some of these reefs extend for kilometres and then filled with biodiversity. So in the executive summary, it concludes, these are worthy of careful management by the Taranaki Regional.”
Ecologist Dr Shaw Meads agrees and says, “These are really crucial findings, which, from what I understand, have been omitted from the TTR Fast-track application.”
Meanwhile, Jones says, “Once again, you’ve got scientists deliberately being negative.”
“The coastline in that part of New Zealand is not some pristine Pacific reef. It’s largely sand and mud. So yes, there are rocky formations closer to the Taranaki, beaches, but this entire issue has been characterised and riddled with misinformation.”
Seabed mining vs offshore wind turbines
Powering the future is at the heart of TTR’s application to mine. It argues that minerals like iron ore and vanadium are essential to the clean energy transition, from cars to construction. Opponents disagree.
Norman says, “That’s a cover for what they’re trying to do. They want to do seabed mining to make money. It’s as simple as that. They don’t care about green energy. They’d be happy to mine for anything.”
To meet its targets of 100 per cent renewable energy by 2035 and net-zero by 2050, Aotearoa needs about 70 per cent more electricity from renewables.
Offshore windfarms proposed by international companies once promised to deliver a big chunk of that, but many have cancelled plans due to TTR’s Fast-track application.
BlueFloat Energy, Elemental Group, Taranaki Offshore Partnership, Sumitomo Corporation and Parkwind last year sent a briefing paper to government ministers saying the two industries were incompatible.
The paper said, “A seabed mining project is expected to significantly disrupt the seabed floor, up to a depth of 11 metres. Offshore wind turbines and electrical cables could not be constructed in the same location as an active seabed mining operation, resulting in the unavailability of that zone for offshore wind generation for the duration of mining activities.”
Renney says offshore wind could help provide a long-term solution to New Zealand’s energy needs while providing industry benefits like engineering, fabrication and marine work, but “without all of the pollution”.
A PwC study estimates offshore wind could add $50 billion to GDP and create 10,000 jobs by 2050, with 2,000 ongoing jobs – far more than TTR’s project.
Jones, meanwhile, insists seabed mining and offshore wind “can coexist.”
The Fast-track fight
TTR’s application was first turned away by the Environmental Protection Authority, then again by the Supreme Court in 2017 on two grounds: environmental protection and failure to properly engage with Māori interests and relevant kaitiakitanga principles according to the Exclusive Economic Zone Act.
TTR turned to the government’s new Fast-Track Approvals Act, hoping to bypass the regulatory hurdles that previously blocked it.
Norman says, “The Fast-track legislation basically goes straight over the top of that Supreme Court decision. So it’s extremely problematic from an environmental protection point of view because it enables these projects to go ahead, which have been well and truly examined and rejected because of both their environmental impact and their treaty impact.”
An expert panel is now deliberating on the application, with a verdict due by March 2025.
Watch the full episode of this story on MĀORI+
Te Ao with Moana, requested an interview with the executive chairman of Trans Tasman Resources but were declined.
