Te Pāti Māori Co-leader and MP for Te Tai Hauāuru, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer, says the Government’s fast-track process for the Taranaki VTM seabed mining project has triggered unprecedented interest, with between 50 and 60 councils, iwi, hapū, marae, community organisations and companies invited into a rushed 20-day process.

“Our people have again been forced to fight for the moana under impossible timeframes” said Ngarewa-Packer.

Iwi Authorities and Treaty Settlement Entities include Ngāti Ruanui, Ngāruahine, Ngā Rauru, Te Āti Awa, Ngāti Tama, Ngāti Mutunga, Ngāti Maru, Ngāti Apa, Whanganui, Ngāti Toa Rangatira, Ngāti Hauiti, Raukawa, Muaūpoko and their hapū and marae.

Parihaka, Whenuakura Marae, Taipakē Marae and land trusts such as Ngāitamarongo/Ngātikahumate alongside Councils across Taranaki, Whanganui, Rangitīkei and Horowhenua are also listed.

Community and environmental organisations are being asked to comment too, including Te Tōpuni Ngārahu (Ngā Iwi o Taranaki Collective), Climate Justice Taranaki, Greenpeace Aotearoa, Forest and Bird, Environmental Defence Society, Kiwis Against Seabed Mining and the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment.

Fishing companies and Māori fisheries entities Sanford, Sealord, Talley’s, Moana, Ngāti Porou Seafoods, Ngāti Koata and others have also been drawn in.

“This shows the sheer scale of concern across iwi, hapū, marae, communities and sectors who all know how destructive seabed mining will be” says Ngarewa-Packer.

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“The expert panel is doing its job under the law, but they should never have been put in this position. The Supreme Court already threw this project out. Our people should not be forced to relive this fight.”

Ngarewa-Packer says the Fast-track Approvals Act strips away robust hearings and cross-examination, replacing them with a rushed tick-box process that undermines the mana of iwi and communities.

“This law was written to silence us, undo hard-fought Treaty and environmental protections, and hand our moana to foreign seabed mining companies. Te Pāti Māori would repeal this bill and ban seabed mining once and for all” Ngarewa-Packer concluded.

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