Fast-tracking Seabed Mining in the South Taranaki Bight?

Yeah, nah.

Seabed mining is a method of extracting metals and minerals in and on the seafloor, either by removing all of the seafloor in an identified area or removing nodules, and then dumping the waste materials back into the ocean through a discharge pipe. 

Seabed mining can be distinguished from sand mining. Sand mining involves dredging sand and taking the seafloor material away, most commonly for concrete. 

The returning of the waste materials to the ocean which is a key component of seabed mining, results in a sediment plume or cloud in the water. The sediment plume can create further environmental effects such as the smothering of marine life, making it difficult for marine life to navigate through the cloud and to find prey.

Seabed mining can take place in shallow waters and deeper waters (referred to as Deep Sea Mining). As of July 2024, there are no commercial-scale mining operations for Deep Sea Mining anywhere in the world. 

Seabed mining is a new technology and is still at the development and experimental stages.** We don’t know if it will work and what the impacts will be. 

**There are some projects that have gone ahead, one example is the extraction of diamonds in Namibia undertaken by DeBeers. However, seabed mining remains a largely untested activity and experimental. See report Marine Mining Lessons From Namibia.

There has never been any seabed mining activities in New Zealand waters. 

New Zealand sand mining activities have occurred in the Kaipara Harbour and at Pakiri. These operations are in shallow waters, usually around 5-10 meters and can be up to a depth of 25 metres. 

Proposed Seabed Mining activities in New Zealand have included the proposed mining of iron ore and vanadium off in the South Taranaki Bight at a depth of 19-42 meteres by company Trans Tasman Resources Limited (TTRL) and proposed mining for phosphate nodules on the Chatham Rise at a depth of 450 meters. Both applications have been unsuccessful. 

Trans Tasman Resources Limited (TTRL) application for seabed mining in the South Taranaki Bight is currently identified as a project to be considered by the Fast Track Panel under the proposed fast track legislation.  

Trans Tasman Resources Limited (TTRL)  proposed in 2016 to vacuum up 50 million tonnes of the seabed every year for 35 years, dumping 45 million tonnes back onto the seabed.

TTRL first applied in 2013 but were declined by the EPA in 2014. They reapplied in 2016 and were approved in 2017. However, the local community, iwi and NGOs appealed and won. The High Court, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court all overturned the decision of the EPA as being made contrary to the law and the EPA was asked to reconsider its 2017 decision. The application was referred back to EPA in 2023 and set down for a hearing in 2024.  In 2024, the rehearing was initiated but after a week of a 4 -5 week hearing TTRL withdrew its application altogether and instead focussed on Fast track application process. 

In 2024, TTRL expanded their application area from 66 km² to 878 km²  and openly set out that the metals that the company now sought to find in the seabed included vanadium as well as iron ore. ‘Iron Sand’/titanomangetite sand is processed on board the processing vessel, with some going through a grinding process, in order to get an iron-ore concentrate - which is exported - to China. The useful 'Vanadium pentoxide’ is obtained during a smelting process which occurs in the steel mills of China. Australia is the major supplier of iron-ore and extract (through the smelting and subsequent process) the Vanadium Pentoxide. In Aotearoa New Zealand, NZ Steel has to ship the Vanadium slag to China, for them to go through a toxic process in order to obtain the Vanadium Pentoxide. NZ Steel then imports this in order to use for strengthening the steel. Interestingly, Australia are only just now looking at building factories to process the iron-ore and have a downstreat Vanadium processing plant. See “Diggers: Australian Vanadium focusing on organic growth.”

Ngāti Ruanui, Ngaa Rauru and Nga Ruahine, alongside Taranaki Regional Council, the District Councils, the local community, local fisherman and local divers have continually opposed this proposal. These groups are in agreement that the environment risks are too great and the economic benefit is too little for this proposal to be of any benefit to the region. 

We want our local government representatives to:

1. Oppose seabed mining to the Fast Track Panel,

2. Ensure adequate and relevant information is provided to the Fast Track Panel, including a cost and benefit anaylsis of the impact of the proposed activity to our region, 

3. Appear at any hearing of the Fast Track Panel on the proposed application for seabed mining. 

Under Fast Track, the local community is excluded from presenting to the Fast Track Panel except through its local government representatives. Therefore, we must ensure that we support our local representatives in being prepared and in understanding the key issues about seabed mining.

Much of the science around the environmental impacts of seabed mining is still untested. However due to the previous EPA hearings (2013, 2016 and 2024)  on the same application, we do have extensive expert advice on potential environmental effects (as far as they can be predicted for an untested activity) and the risks.

This information has been crucial in understanding the values of the marine life in the South Taranaki Bight. Check out the photographs from the Reef Project and images of the Pygmy Blue Whales, data which did not come through TTRL but which was produced by submissions from iwi, the local community and NGOs.

We would like our regional and district councils to ensure that this evidence is put to the fast track panel as part of its consideration. The Fast Track Panel needs the complete picture and this includes the voices from our community, including our  fisherman and divers.  

Secondly, we would like the district and regional councils to investigate the cost and benefits of the proposal to our regional economy. TTR have made numerous claims about the economic benefit some of which they have had to publicly retract as being untrue and incorrect. 

Our local government has a responsibility to ensure that accurate and adequate information is put before the fast track panel before its makes a decision about Seabed Mining activities coming into our region.

1. Sign our petition. Petitions enable our voices to be heard and they do make a difference.
   

2. Donate to our fundraiser for an independent Cost and Benefits Analysis of the Proposed Seabed Mining for the Taranaki Region.
   

Even though Fast-Track Bill skips a lot of consultation steps and denies public consultation, there is still opportunity for approved groups (such as iwi and councils) to have a say. We can support those groups to be prepared by hiring an independent economist to do a cost benefit analysis. A lot of TTRLs basis is that it has positive economic benefits. If we can prove that it doesn’t, it might not have a shot even through Fast-Track.