Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Ruanui Trust is outraged the government will allow foreign vultures hell-bent on turning the South Taranaki seabed into a graveyard onto the fast-track list.

Ngāti Ruanui totally rejects Trans-Tasman Resources Ltd being listed in schedule 2 of the Fast Track Approvals Bill.

If given the green light the operation would cover an area of 65.76 square kilometres, near the Kupe oil rig.

TTR proposes to extract up to 50 million tonnes of sediment per year and process it aboard a floating processing storage and offloading vessel. About five million tonnes of iron ore concentrate would then be exported.

Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Ruanui Trust Kaiw’aka’aere Rachel Arnott said when this group suddenly sulked away from their latest bid earlier this year, it signalled they were eyeing this opportunity to circumvent the will of the people.

“It is staggering that this government’s first foray into the untested, muddy waters of the fast-track process is to pick a project no one here wants.

“This government has touted itself as taking an evidence-based approach to policy, yet they allow a proposal filled with junk-science to proceed.

“For over a decade we have watched this company, with no genuine experience, come into New Zealand, promise the world, and literally fall down at every hurdle.

“Yet, political lobbying by TTR now threatens to turn our vibrant, thriving South Taranaki Bight into an oceanic wasteland.

“Do not get swept away by the hype, this proposed project will be devastating to our coastline and seabed.”

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Ruanui Trust taiao Graham Young said the timeframes given to respond to the project’s inclusion, significantly curtailed the ability of iwi to engage meaningfully when it mattered the most.

“Less than four working days in which to provide a response on this complex issue is farcical and, quite frankly, insulting.

“In 2017, the Decision-Making Committee concluded seabed mining would cause significant, long-term ecological damage to the environment with the highest levels of suspended sediment smothering the coastal marine area offshore from Ngāti Ruanui whenua.

“There will be severe effects on sea life within 2-3km of the project area and moderate effects up to 15km from the mining activity.

“Then four years later, the Supreme Court found that allowing such activity would be contrary to the purpose of the Exclusive Economic Zone (Environmental Effects) Act 2012, which includes a requirement to protect the environment from material harm from discharges and pollution.

“That requirement was not included in the EEZ Act at the whim of a Parliament made up of anti-growth, environmental fundamentalists. Rather, it was inserted into the Act in 2015 under the Fifth National Government, in order to give effect to New Zealand’s international obligations.

“Those obligations are found in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and London Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter.

“Allowing the proposal to proceed will be inconsistent with those international obligations.”

Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Ruanui Trust Tume W’akaae Haimona Maruera said it was time all of Aotearoa took notice of what the government was doing.

“I understand the disconnect many New Zealanders may feel about this shambolic and often confusing process.

“But please understand, this government is not just trampling on Māori rights but also the right of those who stand shoulder to shoulder with us.

“South Taranaki farmers, boaties, surfers and environmental groups are all singing the same tune – ‘Seabed miners are not welcome here’.

“Moving the goal posts to suit one side is shameful.”

“Ngati Ruanui will not stop its opposition to seabed mining, we have only just begun”.

© Scoop Media