The Māori Party oppose Attorney General David Parker’s intervention in Ngāti Ruanui’s seabed mining legal battle in the Supreme Court, which agrees with mining company Trans-Tasman Resources’ interpretation of the EEZ Act.

“It is unacceptable that Government is intervening in a legal case to support an international mining company against tangata whenua,” said Māori Party’s Rawiri Waititi.

“The Attorney General’s views on Te Tiriti rights and environmental law are outrageous. Labour talk a big game on the environment and Te Tiriti rights, but this is just another example of them failing to deliver.

“Ngāti Ruanui and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer have led the fight against seabed mining in Aotearoa. From the Raukūmara to Te Hiku to Kaikōura to Pātea, Māori have been on the frontline of resisting the fossil fuel industry and protecting Tangaroa.

“The Māori Party would ban seabed mining across Aotearoa. It is a risky and untested practice that could cause unprecedented damage to our marine environment.

“The Government needs to rescind its submission to the Supreme Court and instead put in place a ban on seabed mining permits in the EEZ,” said Mr Waititi.

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