Latest news with #Trans-TasmanResources
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.
Scoop
18-05-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Trans-Tasman Resources' Taranaki Seabed Mining Project Clears First Phase Of Fast-Track Process
Article – RNZ Trans-Tasman Resources wants to mine the South Taranaki Bight seabed every year for three decades. , Journalist A company's plan to mine 50 million tonnes of South Taranaki seabed every year has cleared the first hurdle in the Fast-track process. Trans-Tasman Resources (TTR) executive chair Alan Eggers said he was 'delighted' the company's application for its Taranaki VTM project had been accepted as complete and would now move on to the next stage of the Fast-track process. Opponents, meanwhile, are 'livid' and have vowed to continue their fight against the project. TTR wants to mine 50 million tonnes of seabed a year for 30 years in the South Taranaki Bight. Eggers said the company had identified a world-class vanadium resource that could contribute $1 billion annually to the economy. 'It'll generate export revenues of around $850 million a year which will make it New Zealand's 11th or 12th largest exporter. 'Within the region it'll generate about 1150 jobs. We would spend about $230m annually and it'll generate $190m in government royalties and taxes per annum,' Eggers said. Eggers denied the approval process was a 'short cut' to avoid environmental compliance. 'We still have to comply with the embedded safeguards for the environment in the EEZ Act [Exclusive Economic Zone and Continental Shelf Act 2012]. The Fast Track Act includes us having to comply with all the conditions and management plans that were approved under the EEZ Act.' He said the project planned to magnetically extract and export 5 million tonnes of heavy mineral sands containing iron ore and the critical minerals vanadium and titanium each year. 'Our research and marine reports have been independently peer reviewed by international experts in their areas in terms of marine ecologies and plume effects,' Eggers said. Opponents warns of harm to wildlife and environment Greenpeace seabed mining campaigner Juressa Lee said dumping the remaining 45 million tonnes of sand back in to ocean each year would threaten marine life such as the pygmy blue whale, Māui and Hector's dolphins and the world smallest species of penguin, kororā – which migrated through the area. 'Investors in TTR's project are trying to pull the wool over the public's eyes, telling us to 'trust the science'. But TTR has never been able to alleviate the courts' concerns for harmful impacts on wildlife and the environment,' Lee said. The head of Kiwi's Against Seabed Mining, Cindy Baxter, said she was 'livid' at the approval. She said there was 'massive opposition' to the project and seabed mining in general. 'A couple of weeks ago we saw 500 hundred people paddle out in Ōpunake against seabed mining. You've got many of the councils who are against it, you've got all the iwi, you've got surfers, you've got people who love their ocean, even the fishing industry is against it,' Baxter said. She said people were angry at being 'shut out' of the approval process. 'We're not allowed to make submissions – and it's the public opposition that has stopped this process so far – so that's why Christopher Luxon's government has shut us out of the process,' Baxter said. Approval risks 'open slather' for coastlines across the country – Baxter Baxter said if the project was successfully approved it would create a precedent for seabed mining on coastlines all across the country. 'When we first started opposing this in 2012 there were companies all waiting in the wings for this first application to get across the line and, if it does, it'll be open slather on our coastlines,' Baxter said. She said activists would continue to oppose the project. 'We will continue to make our voices heard and we're going to fight this all the way – as far as we can – through the courts. 'If we need to get into boats and go out into the ocean to stop them we'll do that as well,' Baxter said.
Scoop
18-05-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Trans-Tasman Resources' Taranaki Seabed Mining Project Clears First Phase Of Fast-Track Process
, Journalist A company's plan to mine 50 million tonnes of South Taranaki seabed every year has cleared the first hurdle in the Fast-track process. Trans-Tasman Resources (TTR) executive chair Alan Eggers said he was "delighted" the company's application for its Taranaki VTM project had been accepted as complete and would now move on to the next stage of the Fast-track process. Opponents, meanwhile, are "livid" and have vowed to continue their fight against the project. TTR wants to mine 50 million tonnes of seabed a year for 30 years in the South Taranaki Bight. Eggers said the company had identified a world-class vanadium resource that could contribute $1 billion annually to the economy. "It'll generate export revenues of around $850 million a year which will make it New Zealand's 11th or 12th largest exporter. "Within the region it'll generate about 1150 jobs. We would spend about $230m annually and it'll generate $190m in government royalties and taxes per annum," Eggers said. Eggers denied the approval process was a "short cut" to avoid environmental compliance. "We still have to comply with the embedded safeguards for the environment in the EEZ Act [Exclusive Economic Zone and Continental Shelf Act 2012]. The Fast Track Act includes us having to comply with all the conditions and management plans that were approved under the EEZ Act." He said the project planned to magnetically extract and export 5 million tonnes of heavy mineral sands containing iron ore and the critical minerals vanadium and titanium each year. "Our research and marine reports have been independently peer reviewed by international experts in their areas in terms of marine ecologies and plume effects," Eggers said. Opponents warns of harm to wildlife and environment Greenpeace seabed mining campaigner Juressa Lee said dumping the remaining 45 million tonnes of sand back in to ocean each year would threaten marine life such as the pygmy blue whale, Māui and Hector's dolphins and the world smallest species of penguin, kororā - which migrated through the area. "Investors in TTR's project are trying to pull the wool over the public's eyes, telling us to 'trust the science'. But TTR has never been able to alleviate the courts' concerns for harmful impacts on wildlife and the environment," Lee said. The head of Kiwi's Against Seabed Mining, Cindy Baxter, said she was "livid" at the approval. She said there was "massive opposition" to the project and seabed mining in general. "A couple of weeks ago we saw 500 hundred people paddle out in Ōpunake against seabed mining. You've got many of the councils who are against it, you've got all the iwi, you've got surfers, you've got people who love their ocean, even the fishing industry is against it," Baxter said. She said people were angry at being "shut out" of the approval process. "We're not allowed to make submissions - and it's the public opposition that has stopped this process so far - so that's why Christopher Luxon's government has shut us out of the process," Baxter said. Approval risks 'open slather' for coastlines across the country - Baxter Baxter said if the project was successfully approved it would create a precedent for seabed mining on coastlines all across the country. "When we first started opposing this in 2012 there were companies all waiting in the wings for this first application to get across the line and, if it does, it'll be open slather on our coastlines," Baxter said. She said activists would continue to oppose the project. "We will continue to make our voices heard and we're going to fight this all the way - as far as we can - through the courts. "If we need to get into boats and go out into the ocean to stop them we'll do that as well," Baxter said.
Otago Daily Times
17-05-2025
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
Opponents livid as seabed mine project clears fast-track hurdle
By Bill Hickman of RNZ A company's plan to mine 50 million tonnes of South Taranaki seabed every year has cleared the first hurdle in the Fast-track process. Trans-Tasman Resources (TTR) executive chair Alan Eggers said he was "delighted" the company's application for its Taranaki VTM project had been accepted as complete and would now move on to the next stage of the process. Opponents, meanwhile, are "livid" and have vowed to continue their fight against the project. TTR wants to mine 50 million tonnes of seabed a year for 30 years in the South Taranaki Bight. Eggers said the company had identified a world-class vanadium resource that could contribute $1 billion annually to the economy. "It'll generate export revenues of around $850 million a year which will make it New Zealand's 11th or 12th largest exporter. "Within the region it'll generate about 1150 jobs. We would spend about $230m annually and it'll generate $190m in government royalties and taxes per annum," Eggers said. Eggers denied the approval process was a "short cut" to avoid environmental compliance. "We still have to comply with the embedded safeguards for the environment in the EEZ Act [Exclusive Economic Zone and Continental Shelf Act 2012]. The Fast Track Act includes us having to comply with all the conditions and management plans that were approved under the EEZ Act." He said the project planned to magnetically extract and export 5 million tonnes of heavy mineral sands containing iron ore and the critical minerals vanadium and titanium each year. "Our research and marine reports have been independently peer reviewed by international experts in their areas in terms of marine ecologies and plume effects," Eggers said. Opponents warns of harm to wildlife, environment Greenpeace seabed mining campaigner Juressa Lee said dumping the remaining 45 million tonnes of sand back in to ocean each year would threaten marine life such as the pygmy blue whale, Māui and Hector's dolphins and the world smallest species of penguin, kororā - which migrated through the area. "Investors in TTR's project are trying to pull the wool over the public's eyes, telling us to 'trust the science'. But TTR has never been able to alleviate the courts' concerns for harmful impacts on wildlife and the environment." The head of Kiwi's Against Seabed Mining is "livid" at the approval. Cindy Baxter says there is "massive opposition" to the project, and seabed mining in general. "A couple of weeks ago we saw 500 hundred people paddle out in Ōpunake against seabed mining. You've got many of the councils who are against it, you've got all the iwi, you've got surfers, you've got people who love their ocean, even the fishing industry is against it." People were angry at being "shut out" of the approval process, she said. "We're not allowed to make submissions - and it's the public opposition that has stopped this process so far - so that's why Christopher Luxon's government has shut us out of the process." If the project was successfully approved, it would create a precedent for seabed mining on coastlines all across the country, Baxter believed. "When we first started opposing this in 2012 there were companies all waiting in the wings for this first application to get across the line and, if it does, it'll be open slather on our coastlines." Activists would continue to oppose the project. "We will continue to make our voices heard and we're going to fight this all the way - as far as we can - through the courts. If we need to get into boats and go out into the ocean to stop them we'll do that as well," Baxter said.
