Latest news with #CharlotteMelser
NZ Herald
5 days ago
- Politics
- NZ Herald
Elation as Whanganui gets voice in fast-track seabed mining decision
A decision on the application will be made by a panel created for the purpose. Whanganui councillor Charlotte Melser, who opposes Taranaki seabed mining, said the council now had the opportunity to influence the decision. 'It means our foot is in the door to have our say about how this proposal would negatively impact our district. I was elated,' she told Local Democracy Reporting. It was critical for the council to have a voice in the fast-track process because the legislation provided limited opportunities for public input, she said. Under the act, only relevant local authorities, identified iwi authorities and selected others can make written comments on applications. 'It cuts out the voices of community, scientists, environmentalists, divers – some of the people that know that marine area better than anyone,' Melser said. Whanganui councillor Charlotte Melser says it is crucial for the council to have its say about how a South Taranaki seabed mining proposal would negatively impact Whanganui. Photo / Tuakana Te Tana (single use only) 'We've had to fight tooth and nail just to get this far because Whanganui is not directly in the project zone.' TTR wants to extract up to 50 million tonnes of seabed material a year. It would recover an estimated 5 million tonnes of vanadium-rich titanomagnetite concentrate and then dump unwanted sediment back into the sea. Its application says the project would bring regional benefits, including 305 jobs with the miner and port upgrades at New Plymouth and Whanganui. TTR withdrew from an environmental hearing to apply for marine consents via the new fast-track approvals regime. The councils named as relevant local authorities can nominate a representative to the decision-making panel, provide written comments on the application and speak about those comments if a hearing is held. They met iwi, TTR and the expert panel's convenor, Jennifer Caldwell, on July 7 to discuss the expertise needed on the panel and the timing of its decision-making. Whanganui council chief executive David Langford summarised his council's position in a letter to Caldwell before the meeting. The key concerns were environmental, particularly the negative impact of the sediment plume, which would affect the Whanganui district; cultural, particularly the conflict of the proposal with Treaty obligations and settlements; and economic, specifically the adverse impact of the proposal on the district. 'Our council would like to emphasise the need for expertise to consider the potential economic disbenefit of the proposal with regards to its conflict with offshore wind farming in the Taranaki Bight.' Whanganui District had been identified as one of the best locations in the world for wind energy, and the council was pursuing opportunities for renewable energy investment, including offshore wind farming, Langford said. 'Our view is that this one project could stand in the way of other projects which would not only provide significant economic benefits for our district (and beyond), but also better align with the Government's strategic objectives around climate, energy and industrial transformation goals (for example, to double New Zealand's renewable electricity production by 2050).' The scale and nature of the proposed extraction, along with the resuspension of seabed sediments, could affect ecological and cultural features that each had a potential economic impact, he said. The complex and contentious nature of the application would mean a considerable amount of time would be required to reach a decision. 'Not only is the fast-track process and its underpinning legislation new, but the proposed mining activity is also a world first.' It would be important to include the council throughout the process. 'We do not believe we should be precluded from any step of this process on the basis that our council has filed a motion opposing the project – our relevance remains, regardless of our position.' In December last year, Melser's motion opposing the project won the unanimous support of fellow councillors. A public-excluded meeting of Taranaki Regional Council was expected to decide this week on a collective council nomination to the panel. Caldwell is expected to appoint a panel by late July. LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
Scoop
6 days ago
- Business
- Scoop
Melser Announces Re-Election Bid With Focus On Youth And Climate
Singer, activist and Whanganui councillor Charlotte Melser has announced she will stand for a second term in October's local body elections. Melser will campaign on four pillars: enabling the youth sector, climate and environment, community cohesion, and business and innovation. The former restaurant owner – at 37 one of the council's youngest elected members – launched her first term in local government in 2022. 'The reason I initially stood hasn't changed – the importance of broader representation. For people to want to engage in democracy they need to see people they feel represent them and their values.' It had been a challenging three years and big issues lay ahead. 'It's been an absolute baptism by fire. The complexities of local government are growing and we've been through pretty tough economic times. 'I've worked hard to learn the mechanisms and different parts of council, to understand how our town works, and the levers we can pull to connect people and make it better. 'There are pieces of work I've spent a lot of time and energy on, which I would love to see through, particularly in the youth space.' During long-term plan deliberations, the council decided to dissolve its youth council. Responding to a 'huge' outcry of public support for youth representation, Melser asked for a $10,000 youth initiatives budget, which councillors not only backed but increased to $40,000. 'We're now looking at something pretty cool that could elevate and enable the sector. 'Across the board, the challenges are marketing, networking and reaching the youth that organisations are specifically trying to target. We are looking at ways to fill those gaps and connect the sector.' A key focus in the new triennium would be change within local government, including potential amalgamation. 'The writing is on the wall – things are changing. A lot of conversations need to be had to ensure the sustainability and effectiveness of local government. 'Water reform is part of it, the first tranche of change. We're walking down another road of pretty big reform beyond water services. 'A lot of councils, including our own, are working together to find efficiencies like shared service arrangements, which makes sense.' An advocate for environment, biodiversity and climate strategies, Melser gained her qualification as a Resource Management Act (RMA) hearings commissioner during the term and sees RMA reform as another big council workstream. She is concerned about lack of clarity and guidance from Government on climate resilience and adaptation. 'RMA reform is surely the opportunity to start seriously talking about climate change adaptation. 'We're getting major weather event after major weather event. We have MPs talking about where the liability lands in terms of home ownership and buy-outs, and in the meantime we're having insurance payouts fixing these homes up and selling them on, so where's the liability? 'Where is the conversation about managed retreat? We need continuity around the country in terms of what that looks like, and that needs to come from the top.' Whanganui could not on its own fund the managed retreat of vulnerable areas such as Anzac Parade, Pūtiki and along parts of the Whanganui River. 'Our communities deserve to have certainty and clarity, and we as a district deserve to have direction on what that looks like.' Melser has been an active opponent of proposed seabed mining off South Taranaki. 'I've been working very hard on that in my own time. It's at a crucial point as the fast-track approvals process is stood up. 'Opposition is massive and growing. You've got the fishing industry, farmers, environmentalists, scientists, politicians, businesses, iwi. Never have I seen such unity among communities on a single issue.' Melser's promise to advance community cohesion rests on her experience in Castlecliff, where she lives and once owned The Citadel restaurant. She cites the Castlecliff Rejuvenation Project partnership with the council as an important insight into the growth and activation that could be achieved through the power of community. Whanganui could develop as a thriving hub of business and innovation, logistics and manufacturing, Melser said. 'It's about looking outward regionally, where the opportunities are. Our airport and port developments put us in a really strong position to be innovative and connected in logistics, and we have incredible manufacturers here in all sorts of industries.' The mother of young twins has also worked to support the introduction of Whanganui's first Māori seats this year. 'My sense of justice and fairness kicked in and I just got to work. I think it's going to be a game-changer.' Melser will confirm her second-term campaign on Friday with a fundraising event at Amdram Theatre, supported by Castlecliff Lights. A singer-songwriter herself, Melser will also perform. Her second single Down To Me will be released on 16 August.
RNZ News
23-07-2025
- Politics
- RNZ News
Elation as Whanganui gets voice in fast-track seabed mining decision
Whanganui councillor Charlotte Melser says it is crucial for the council to have its say about how a South Taranaki seabed mining proposal would negatively impact Whanganui. Photo: Tuakana Te Tana A Whanganui District councillor is "elated" her council has been named a relevant authority in the fast-track application process for a seabed mining project off South Taranaki. The recognition means Whanganui could have opportunities other councils and the public may not have to state a position on an Australian company's seabed mining application. Taranaki Regional Council and South Taranaki District Council have also been confirmed by the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) as relevant local authorities to the Taranaki VTM project. The Fast Track Approvals Act 2024, introduced by the coalition government, does not allow the public to freely submit on the application. A decision on the application will be made by a panel created by the EPA for this purpose. Whanganui councillor Charlotte Melser, who opposes Taranaki seabed mining, said the council now had the opportunity to potentially influence the decision. "It means our foot is in the door to have our say about how this proposal would negatively impact our district. I was elated," Melser told Local Democracy Reporting. It was critical for the council to have a voice in the fast-track process because the legislation provided limited opportunities for public input, she said. Seabed mining protesters off Autere East End Beach in Ngāmotu/New Plymouth. Photo: Supplied/Niwa Photographer Courtesy Tania Under the Act, only relevant local authorities, identified iwi authorities and select others can make written comments on the application. "It cuts out the voices of community, scientists, environmentalists, divers - some of the people that know that marine area better than anyone," Melser said. "We've had to fight tooth and nail just to get this far because Whanganui is not directly in the project zone." Trans-Tasman Resources (TTR) wants to extract up to 50 million tonnes a year of seabed material a year. It would recover an estimated 5 million tonnes of vanadium-rich titanomagnetite concentrate and then dump unwanted sediment back into the sea. TRR's application says the project would bring regional benefits including 305 jobs with the miner and port upgrades at New Plymouth and Whanganui. TTR withdrew from an environmental hearing to apply for marine consents via the new fast-track approvals regime. The councils named as relevant local authorities can nominate a representative to the decision-making panel, provide written comments on the application and speak to those comments if a hearing is held. They met with iwi, TTR and the EPA's expert panel convenor Jennifer Caldwell on 7 July to discuss the expertise needed on the panel and the timing of its decision-making. Whanganui council chief executive David Langford summarised his council's position in a letter to Caldwell prior to the conference. The key concerns were environmental, particularly the negative impact of the sediment plume, which would impact the Whanganui district; cultural, particularly the conflict of the proposal with treaty obligations and settlements; and economic, specifically the adverse impact of the proposal for the district. Photo: "Our council would like to emphasise the need for expertise to consider the potential economic disbenefit of the proposal with regards to its conflict with offshore wind farming in the Taranaki Bight," Langford said. Whanganui District had been identified as one of the best locations in the world for wind energy and the council was pursuing opportunities for renewable energy investment, including offshore wind farming, Langford said. "Our view is that this one project could stand in the way of other projects which would not only provide significant economic benefits for our district (and beyond), but also better align with the government's strategic objectives around climate, energy, and industrial transformation goals (for example, to double New Zealand's renewable electricity production by 2050)." The scale and nature of the proposed extraction, along with the resuspension of seabed sediments, could impact ecological and cultural features which each had their own potential economic impact, Langford said. He said the complex and contentious nature of the application would mean a considerable amount of time would be required to reach a decision. "Not only is the fast-track process and its underpinning legislation new, but the proposed mining activity is also a world first." Langford said it would be important to include the council throughout the process. "We do not believe we should be precluded from any step of this process on the basis that our council has filed a motion opposing the project - our relevance remains, regardless of our position." In December last year, Melser's motion opposing the project won the unanimous support of fellow councillors. A public-excluded meeting at Taranaki Regional Council was expected to decide this week on a collective council nomination to the panel. Caldwell is expected to appoint a panel by late July. LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air
Scoop
22-05-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Whanganui Politician Crosses Boundaries To Stop Seabed Mine
A Whanganui councillor has brought her campaign against seabed mining to local politicians in New Plymouth, saying their silence isn't good enough. Australian company Trans-Tasman Resources wants to mine the seafloor in the shallows of South Taranaki Bight, promising a harmless operation that'll bring profits, jobs and exports. It's seeking permission for the proposed mine via the pro-development Fast-track Approvals Act. Whanganui District Councillor Charlotte Melser presented her 3000-signature Concerned Communities petition to New Plymouth District Council on Tuesday, saying many locals had signed. 'Your silence on the proposal does not go far enough for many in your community,' she told councillors on NPDC's Strategy and Operations Committee. Melser wants Taranaki and Whanganui councillors to instruct staff to research ecological, economic and cultural impacts, informing councils to speak against the Fast-track mining bid. 'What I'm angling for is a united voice… to make sure all relevant information is put in front of the decision-making panel.' For centuries coastal communities have relied on the abundant South Taranaki Bight, said Melser. 'It's truly such a thriving ecosystem down there. 'Do we really need to put it at risk to fill the coffers of an Australian mining company?' Opponents say Trans-Tasman's waste sediment would smother the extensive reefs of the Pātea Banks, stunting food-chain photosynthesis by cutting sunlight. They fear underwater industrial noise would disrupt rare Maui dolphins and pygmy blue whales. Trans-Tasman Resources (TTR) has consents to vacuum-up 50 million tonnes of seabed sediment every year for 35 years, extracting iron, vanadium and titanium for export. But despite a decade in the courts TTR still hasn't won permission to discharge 45 million tonnes of unwanted sediment – a recognised pollutant – back into the ocean. The mining company says most of the daily 165,000 tonnes of waste would sink to the seabed in a 'controlled process'. It says superfine sediments drifting from the mine would be insignificant in the turbid Tasman Sea. In 2021 the Supreme Court unanimously rejected the company's case and ordered it to start again. But a year ago TTR quit the resulting environmental hearing in favour of a fast-track application. The Environmental Protection Authority will soon name an expert panel to hear submissions, then advise Government ministers. 'Once the panel is established, your council will have only 20 working days to complete your submission,' Melser advised. 'The timeframes are tight, so I ask that you make some time today, or as soon as is practicality possible, to come to a position on this amongst yourselves so you can direct your policy team to get on with the work.' Her last-ditch appeal left committee members unable to act: one of them must instead take a notice-of-motion to the next council meeting. Trans-Tasman's executive chairman Alan Eggers was pleased the application is progressing along the fast-track. 'We have proposed a set of operating conditions and management plans to generate much-needed growth, create high-paying jobs and minimise any environmental impacts in the South Taranaki Bight.' Opponents filled the council's public gallery at Tuesday afternoon's meeting, including a couple of dozen from Protect Our Moana Taranaki. Co-founder Tihikura Hohaia hoped councillors understood the range of people against the mine. 'It's so widespread: surfers, fishers, boaties, yeah – and also dairy farmers.' 'We had a farmer bring a butchered sheep to [a protest last month]. They don't want to go public but no one wants this.' Last December Whanganui District Council unanimously opposed TTR's project. Two years ago South Taranaki District Council told Parliament economic benefits wouldn't outweigh 'environmental vandalism' off the Pātea coast and it should outlaw seabed mining. Trans-Tasman's owners Manuka Resources told the Australian Stock Exchange they predict annual earnings of US$312 million, giving shareholders a near 40 percent rate of return on investment.
Scoop
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Fast-Track Fury: Councillor Urges United Front Against Taranaki Seabed Mining
A Whanganui councillor is condemning a decision to move a mining company's South Taranaki seabed application into the next stage of the fast-track approvals process. First-term councillor Charlotte Melser is urging affected councils and iwi to unite in opposition to the proposal by Trans-Tasman Resources (TTR) to mine 50 million tonnes of iron sand per year for 35 years over 66km2 of the South Taranaki Bight. 'At what point is enough enough?' Melser said, speaking to Local Democracy Reporting. 'Despite significant opposition from all coastal communities, multiple declined consents and massive gaps in the application in terms of environmental mitigation, the Government has rolled out the red carpet to the back door through the fast-track process and brought this application back from the dead.' The process was established by the Fast-track Approvals Act 2024 to streamline infrastructure and development projects deemed to have significant regional or national benefits. TTR's application passed the first hurdle last week when the Environmental Protection Authority marked it as complete. In the next step, the authority has 10 days to check for any competing applications and existing consents before the application moves to a panel convener to appoint an expert panel and set a timeframe for it to make a decision. If no timeframe is set, the panel must make a decision within 30 working days of the deadline for receiving comments from invited parties. On Tuesday morning, Melser delivered a petition against the seabed mining application to Whanganui District Council and planned to present the same petition – signed by more than 3000 people – to New Plymouth District Council's strategy and operations committee in the afternoon. She says local councils could be the only bodies invited to make submissions to the expert panel. 'In the past, lots of individuals have been able to give evidence in the hearings but that's not possible under fast-track. Only invited parties can make submissions. 'What I'm angling for is a united voice from all of the affected district councils and regional councils.' Melser said the fast-track process cuts out the voices of individuals such as divers and recreational users who know the marine area best. 'So it's up to councils and iwi and affected parties to speak for their communities and make strong submissions to the EPA. 'At this stage, it's really important for individuals to contact their elected members, their iwi representatives and their MPs to show sustained opposition.' The petition from Concerned Communities of Taranaki and Manawatu Against Seabed Mining calls on all impacted councils to seek independent advice and review of economic and environmental assessments to ensure all relevant information is provided to the decision-making panel. 'When weighing up the benefits of any project of any development, you need to consider all of the costs including social and environmental," Melser said. 'It's important to ask ourselves what is our bottom line, what are we willing to lose? 'When you look at all the evidence, that coastal marine area is just thriving with abundance and it's a taonga that is worth preserving.' Concerned Communities said in its petition that this type of seabed mining had not been carried out anywhere else in the world and was 'experimental'. The proposal to return 45 million tonnes per year of processed sand to the seabed would create sediment plumes that could significantly impact rich but delicate ecosystems and precious marine life, the petition said. Trans-Tasman Resources executive chairman Alan Eggers said he was pleased the application is moving forward in the fast-track process. 'We believe we have proposed a set of operating conditions and management plans to generate much-needed growth, create high-paying jobs and minimise any environmental impacts in the STB [South Taranaki Bight],' he said in a statement. In a recent Local Democracy Reporting article, Eggers said de-ored sands will be returned immediately to the seafloor in a controlled process to minimise suspended sediment in the water. An economic impact assessment by New Zealand Institute of Economic Research said the project would generate $850 million in annual export earnings and more than 1350 jobs, including 300 in Taranaki and Whanganui. 'Those numbers are overinflated,' Melser said. 'There are a number of gaps in their report.' She told her council that Whanganui would see none of the economic benefit. 'But we will see all of the environmental impact because of the travel of sediment plume.' In December, the Whanganui council unanimously backed a motion from Melser to formally oppose the seabed mining application. Whanganui mayor Andrew Tripe agreed last week to have the petition added to the council meeting agenda as a late item. Usually, petitions have to be received five working days in advance of the meeting but Tripe used mayoral discretion to waive the rule. The council agreed to receive the petition, with all votes in favour. Melser abstained as she presented the petition. TTR's application is expected to be made public on the Government's fast-track website next month.
