Seabed mining is a threat to our oceans.

So far, determined opposition has stopped large-scale seabed mining from getting underway here in Aotearoa.  It’s been a 15-year battle: with environmental and community groups uniting with Iwi and the fishing industry to oppose the seabed miners, at the cost of untold hours and financial commitments.  

Now is our chance to prevent destruction before it’s too late.

The floodgates could be about to open. Right now, mining companies still have their sights set on the seabed off the Taranaki Coast for ironsands, and the deep water, coral-covered seamounts on the Chatham Rise for phosphate. And they’re exploring the deep sea of the Pacific.

What happens in Aotearoa New Zealand will set a precedent that could determine the success or failure of this new destructive mining industry in the rest of the Pacific and around the world. We can stop them before they start.

Communities across the Pacific are calling for a ban to protect their waters and the whole Pacific Ocean from this industry, including a Pacific-led push to draw a Blue Line against the emerging Deep Sea Mining industry.  And in Australia’s Northern Territory, after nine years of deliberation, the government has now decided to implement a full ban, arguing there would be too much damage to their precious marine environment.

Our natural environment is one of our best assets and a huge part of what we value in Aotearoa - and our world is facing a climate and biodiversity crisis that requires urgent action on multiple fronts. We know that a healthy environment creates a stronger more sustainable economy as well as sustaining wellbeing and cultural values. Seabed mining simply does not fit into our future as a nation.

We call on the New Zealand government to ban seabed mining in our waters to keep the lid on this destructive industry and protect our precious ocean.