Excerpt from greenpeace.org
Greenpeace along with iwi and environmental groups are calling the decision to reject Trans Tasman Resources proposal to mine the Taranaki seafloor “a massive win for people power and the ocean”.
In a draft decision, released today, the Fast Track expert panel declined the Australian company’s application to mine the seabed in the South Taranaki Bight.
The panel declined consent for the project, finding it would likely cause material harm to marine ecosystems, threatened species like pygmy blue whales and penguins, and concluded it could not be safely managed, even with conditions attached.
Greenpeace Aotearoa seabed mining spokesperson Juressa Lee says: “This is the outcome we have been fighting for over 12 years. It shows exactly what happens when communities, iwi, experts and ocean protectors stand together.