Forest & Bird welcomes the draft decision to decline consent for Trans‑Tasman Resources’ (TTR) proposal to mine the seabed of the South Taranaki Bight.
It marks a major milestone in the more than decade‑long fight to stop the most destructive marine mining proposal ever advanced in Aotearoa.
The draft decision reflects that the South Taranaki Bight is a highly significant marine ecosystem, including as a hotspot for pygmy blue whales and Māui dolphins, and as home to a diverse range of other vulnerable marine species.
Forest & Bird senior environmental lawyer, May Downing, says the draft decision reinforces the importance of a precautionary approach when activities threaten complex ocean ecosystems and at‑risk species.
“The evidence has always shown this proposal would have caused widespread and permanent damage to the seabed, marine life, and the ecological integrity of the South Taranaki Bight,” says Ms Downing.
“The draft decision recognises that these risks are simply too great.”
Ms Downing says Forest & Bird hopes the draft decision signals the end of a proposal that has consumed enormous time, resources, and community energy.
“Iwi, hapū, local communities, scientists, and environmental organisations have, at great cost, carried the burden of responding to this application for more than a decade,” she says.
“We hope this draft decision is the final nail in the coffin for seabed mining in the South Taranaki Bight.”
Forest & Bird will review the draft decision in full, but says the direction is clear: destructive seabed mining has no place in Aotearoa New Zealand's oceans.