The risk is all ours. The profits are all theirs.

Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Ruanui Trust Kaiwhakahaere Rachel Arnott

Aotearoa stands at the precipice of a decision that will have irreversible consequences for one of our least understood ecosystems.

Trans-Tasman Resources, owned by Manuka Resources, and the Government are betting big that they can exploit the South Taranaki Bight before the public understands what is at stake.

While the draw of valuable minerals, like titanium and vanadium, can be hard to ignore, short-term economic gain cannot supersede our environment.

As Mana Moana, Ngāti Ruanui have long known of the South Taranaki Bight’s rich marine ecosystem.

But the scale uncovered by Project Reef and NIWA points to a nationally important and thriving ecosystem in the shadow of an untested mining operation.

Along with kelp forests, algal meadows and sponge gardens, the bight is home to New Zealand’s only known population of critically endangered blue whales and is a crucial migratory corridor for humpback whales.

Vast swaths are still uncharted and there are likely many more reefs yet to be found.

For over a decade, Ngāti Ruanui have watched a company, with no seabed mining experience, enter New Zealand, make grandiose claims, and then repeatedly falter at even the slightest hint of scrutiny.

Initially, Trans-Tasman Resources told the public, with total confidence, that the South Taranaki Bight was a wasteland, a virtual black-sand desert– only to find, guess what?

It’s teeming with life.

They then fired up the spin machine to wildly inflate the number of jobs the venture would create.

Proclamations of tremendous wealth off the backs of 1600 workers, 700 in Taranaki, became a few hundred jobs with a couple of dozen, if any, in the region.

The massive downgrade was only revealed once their first 2195-page application to the EPA had large sections of redactions removed.

Then when the Fast-Track Approvals Bill lurched into life TTR claimed it was “formally invited” to apply – RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop said the company’s announcement was “misleading”.

When confronted with the absurdity of these falsehoods, they either double-down, downplay or remained silent, but never once showed contrition.

I feels like a page from a playbook we know all to well– sell an unfounded promise while racing to cash in before people catch on.

It was no surprise then, late last year they were again caught pulling figures from thin air when their claim of $1 billion annual export earnings turned out to be unproven.

TTR’s owner, Manuka Resources, initially echoed the news with lofty affirmations of ‘national significance’ and ‘world-class.’

Twenty-four hours later – oops, another retraction: It’s statement; The company “does not have a reasonable basis to provide this information”.

TTRs ease in which it misleads the public, stakeholders, and politicians, only to reluctantly backtrack when caught out underscores a troubling pattern and should give everyone reason to pause.

It is this same level of fact-flippancy that was not lost on the Environmental Protection Authority, the Court of Appeal, or the Supreme Court, but sadly it now seems to have befuddled our politicians.

With the self-proclaimed Matua of Mining taking a special interest in this venture, Ngāti Ruanui now faces political lobbying, rather than an open, honest discussion around scientific evidence.

This government, through Minister Jones, has parroted all the same overblown rhetoric.

When this failed to gain traction, the minister turned petty.

We were called ‘pixie-like’ and ‘false prophets’ for daring to question this poor, defenseless mining company.

This scattershot approach reflects an unmistakable degree of desperation. This is after all, a venture without many kiwis or facts in their corner.

It is profoundly sad that the collective voices of South Taranaki farmers, local politicians, boaties, greenies, townies, iwi, and environmental groups could be silenced in favour of junk science and greed.

Ngāti Ruanui does not oppose the responsible use of ocean resources, provided that best practices are strictly adhered to.

Something this mining group cannot prove.

Smothering our marine habitats is a risk we are not willing to take.

The consequences of such damage extend far beyond the mining zone, potentially impacting the billion-dollar fishery and tourism industries.

Make no mistake, if this company gets the green light here seabed mining operations will quickly pop-up around Aotearoa.

Just because a multinational mining company tells you to leap off the cliff with the promise of wealth, doesn’t mean you should.