Rukutai Watene and Peeti Wharehoka-Watene of Ngāti Ruanui and six Greenpeace activists have been in Sydney to disrupt an AGM of a mining company seeking to fast-track seabed mining in Taranaki.
Manuka Resources is an Australian-owned mining company and sole owner of Trans-Tasman Resources, which for a decade has tried and failed to get approval for a 35-year seabed mining project in the South Taranaki Bight.
Experts said this project would have a devastating impact on vulnerable marine life, such as Hector’s and Māui dolphins, the pygmy blue whale and kororā.
When the project was confirmed as part of the critical fast-track projects list, fears were confirmed for Ngāti Ruanui.
Rukutai Watene took the floor at the meeting to outline the reasons his hapū opposes the mining of its rohe and told the shareholders the project was unwanted.
“I am unapologetic about interrupting the Manuka Resources shareholders’ AGM. We’ve fought Trans-Tasman Resources three times in court, and three times we’ve won but now TTR is using the fast track law and we have to fight them again,” Watene said.
“From the mountain to the sea, from Aotearoa to Sydney, we will fight to protect our rohe and stop seabed mining taking place.”
Outside the meeting, Greenpeace activists from Aotearoa held up a NO SEABED MINING banner and handed shareholders a ‘shareholding pack’, which included a letter warning them of the continued resistance TTR would face.
Greenpeace Aotearoa spokesperson Juan Parada said they were taking the action to demonstrate New Zealanders didn’t want seabed mining
“It shows Trans-Tasman Resources and Manuka Resources that we shall resist them wherever they are - even here in Australia,” Parada said.
“We’re highlighting the danger that Trans-Tasman Resources may get the chance to revive its zombie seabed mining project via the fast track law, despite years of community opposition and rejection by the courts.”