After 12 years of fighting to protect our moana we are finding ourselves back at square one and back at court.

Today, the Environmental Protection Agency is sitting in Hawera to reconsider an application from Trans-Tasman Resources to dig up 50 million tonnes of the seabed in South Taranaki. This is despite failing every environmental threshold and having their consent revoked by three separate courts.

“It’s clear these corporations are feeling emboldened by this government and their fast-tracking legislation” said Te Pāti Māori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer.

“TTR have already invested $50 million into their bid to pillage our seabed of minerals, and now they have the government backing them. We are gravely concerned for what this means for our rural communities who cannot afford endless court cases.

“Iwi have won every court case against TTR, and have proven beyond doubt that this company cannot meet the environmental threshold. But here we are, back at this point.

“If TTR fails to meet the EPA’s environmental threshold again, which we are certain they will, there is nothing stopping this government from fast tracking their consent anyway.

“This is what the erosion of Te Tiriti looks like. It is why they stole our Foreshore and Seabed in 2004: so they could sell it off to these companies who care about nothing but profit.

“Te Pāti Māori will not rest until seabed mining is banned in Aotearoa once and for all. We will fight this company, and the government backing them, every step of the way” Ngarewa-Packer said.

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