Second Day Of Seabed Mining Hearing Concludes As Experts Reveal 20-thousand Square Metres Of Seabed To Be Mined Daily

It has been revealed that 20-thousand square metres of the seabed is intended to be mined everyday as the second day of the Trans-Tasman Resources Limited hearing to mine the moana comes to a close.

Representatives from TTR presented further evidence, which shed more light into the intended seabed mining operations off the coast of South Taranaki.

The intended crawler intended to be used for TTR’s mining would have a width of 24-metres trawling through a devastating 8,000 tonnes of sediment per-hour, over a 20-thousand square metre area.

“The revelations today are just an insult on our moana, the marine life that habituate it and our kaitiaki rights as mana-whenua,” said Ngāti Ruanui taiao spokesperson, Graham Young.

“The volume these vultures intend to mine, the noise creation and sediment plumes will have huge consequences for the marine mammals and seabirds,” said Young.

The previous ruling concluded that TTR failed to protect the environment from material harm and additionally showed no caution for environmental protection.

Additionally, that figures and data presented in the 2017 hearing were too reliant on precommencement monitoring.

“Despite TTR’s confidence to present new data, most of what we seen today was an iteration of modelling that had already been presented,” said Young.

“We must be clear that there is no reason for any reconsideration of factual conclusions from the 2017 hearing, particularly in the absence of no new evidence.

“Our position is that if there is no new evidence that is favourable to TTR’s position, then there must not be a need to reconsider findings and draw different conclusions from the ruling of the supreme court in 2017.

“Every witness called to the stand by TTR today has been asked to go away and do some homework.

“That is a clear indication that the argument TTR are putting forward, is one that is baseless and is presenting nothing new to support their case.

“Ngāti Ruanui will fight to the end to protect our moana.”

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