Several Raglanders gave their oral submissions at the Trans-Tasman Resources mining Hamilton hearing which began on 7th April.
First up was children’s author Tui Allen who said that Trans-Tasman Resources has no right to mine 50 million tonnes of seabed material every year off the North Island’s west coast. Tui, whose 2011 novel, Ripple, about dolphins was selected for the 2012 Frankfurt Book Fair, was the first Waikato submitters to speak at the hearing at Waikato Stadium. She told the Environment Protection Agency hearing that:
“Humanity did not own the ocean. It belongs to the creatures of the sea, “They have the right to keep it as it is.”
“It’s like digging up your neighbour’s yard to get their buried goodies. If we humans have to soil our own land that’s bad enough, but can we please leave the ocean alone?”
Tui emphasised that her greatest concern was for the endangered and declining Maui’s dolphins, and Blue, Southern Right and Orca whales.
Trans-Tasman Resources, a private company established in 2007 to explore iron sand deposits off the North Island’s west coast, has applied to mine in a 65.76 square kilometre zone 22 to 36 kilometres off Patea. Their Taranaki Bight application had 4850 submissions with 80 Waikato people speaking in Hamilton. Other hearings will be held in New Plymouth, Wanganui and Hawera.
Raglanders presenting at the hearing on Monday included Vera van der Voorden, John Lawson, Bob MacLeod, Joan Havemann, Carolina Hart-Meade, Xavier Meade, Wanda Barker and Heather Cunningham. Heather reminded the committee it was charged with protecting the environment.
The hearing continues this week with the Hamilton sessions ending on Friday.