Tag Archives: Trans Tasman Resources

Appeal begins over seabed mining for ironsands off Taranaki coast

An attempt to restore consent for seabed mining of ironsands off the Taranaki coast, has begun in the Court of Appeal. But the appeal by Trans-Tasman Resources is fiercely opposed by environmental and fishing groups, and local iwi, some of them with their own cross-appeals before the court in a three-day hearing that began on Tuesday. In the High Court in 2018 a judge found the original consent may have adopted a wrong management tool, in an area that legally had to be protected from pollution by regulating or prohibiting the discharge of harmful substances. >click to read<

Company denies seabed mining would wreck environment

Four months of hearings into a seabed mining application off the South Taranaki coast have finally come to an end. It follows an application by Trans Tasman Resources (TTR) to dig up to 50 million tonnes of ironsand from the ocean floor each year. It would then extract 5 million tonnes of iron ore, and dump the residue on the bottom of the sea. Trans Tasman Resources said the scheme would produce 300 jobs and add $160 million to New Zealand’s GDP. It has already been turned down by the Environmental Protection Authority once, and has come back for a second attempt. Lawyer Robert Makgill represented the fishing industry and said the law clearly required the scheme to be turned down. Click here to read the story 13:31

NZ no to seabed mining a cautionary tale for the Pacific

Trans Tasman Resources had proposed mining for iron ore 22 kilometres off the coast. But the EPA said no, citing concerns about the potential environmental effects and the effects of existing fishing and Kiwi interests. The decision raises questions about whether proposed sea d mining projects across the Pacific could go ahead without causing environmental damage. Read more here 11:50