Seabed Mining Application will see massive opposition

Media Release: Kiwis Against Seabed Mining, 29 July 2013

An application for a mining permit to take black sand from the seabed off the South Taranaki coast will be met with massive opposition, said Kiwis Against Seabed Mining (KASM) today.

Trans Tasman Resources, a largely foreign-owned company, has today lodged an application with NZ Petroleum and Minerals for a mining licence to dig up more than 65 square kms of the seabed for ironsands, which would be shipped directly to Asian markets.

“To significantly compromise our marine environment for just a few cents on the dollar is not smart economics. It’s third world thinking and Kiwis know better than that,” said KASM Chairperson Phil McCabe.

The move by TTR begins a process that, if not stopped, could see the same mining happening up the entire West Coast of the North and South Islands.

“TTR have told us that they are starting small and if they get the nod, plan to go bigger and closer to shore. This first application is a precedent setter for them and other companies.”

McCabe said KASM has been holding public meetings up and down the coast and the opposition to seabed mining plans is growing by the day.

“New Zealanders love our marine environment and the West Coast Black Sands are an iconic part of our culture. We won’t sit by and let this happen without a massive fight,” he said.