People marching through Patea in a hīkoi to oppose seabed mining, on 2 October, 2024. Photo: Supplied/ Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Ruanui Trust
A company that wants to mine the seabed off the coast of Taranaki has welcomed its inclusion on the government's fast-track projects list.
Trans-Tasman Resources (TTR) says if its project goes ahead in the South Taranaki Bight it will create hundreds of jobs and boost export earnings.
Opponents, meanwhile, are fuming the so-called "zombie project" is being brought back to life.
Trans-Tasman Resources wants to mine 50 million tonnes of sea bed a year for 30 years in the South Taranaki Bight.
Executive chairperson Allan Eggers said it had identified a world-class vanadium resource that could contribute $1 billion annually to the economy and create hundreds of jobs.
"Including 300 in the Taranaki district. It's not a fly-in fly-out project, these jobs will be based in Hāwera and New Plymouth.
"It will generate another 170 jobs in the region in support, logistics and services, and we will spend around $250 million a year in the district."
He believed TTR could extract valuable minerals - which would help with the electrification of New Zealand - without endangering the environment despite so far not being able to secure consents through the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA).
"The facts are that the project has very little if any adverse affect on the environment and that's been supported by extensive research and trials undertaken by NIWA and other leading scientific institutions."
Kiwis Against Seabed Mining spokesperson Cindy Baxter fumed at TTR's claim the project had been proven environmentally safe.
"They call it a zombie project because it is a zombie project, it's just going to wreck the environment and it's not been proven safe at all.
"In fact the Supreme Court sent it back to the EPA to prove it would cause no material harm and TTR just walked away from it."
A protest against seabed mining in Taranaki headed to Parliament on 19 September 2016. Photo: RNZ / Robin Martin
Baxter also questioned the project's value to the New Zealand economy.
"This project will not bring in economic benefits either to the region or the country. It will leave us in a great big mess.
"They don't even know how to get the critical mineral out of the iron sands - they haven't even got a process for how to do that.
"They'll pay very few royalties and most of the profits will go to the 100 percent owned Australian company."
Baxter said Kiwis Against Seabed Mining would regroup to consider its options, but the fight against seabed mining was not over.
Ngāti Ruanui iwi members had fought against seabed mining since it was first mooted.
Kaiwhakahaere Rachel Rae was not happy it was included on the fast-track list.
"I was pretty pissed off when I got the news. Frustrated, hurt especially for our uri and our whānau on the ground that's been fighting the fight the last five years and been a part of that.
"So, I suppose I was pissed off."
Rae said the government had ignored Ngāti Ruanui's wishes and the courts.
"They've disregarded the High Court, disregarded the Court of Appeal and disregarded the Supreme Court.
"They are obviously only interested in lining their own pockets because of what benefit is it going to be for our uri and for South Taranaki ... probably none and they're destroying our moana.
"We've won three court cases and now the government are overriding that."
Rae said the iwi's only hope now appeared to be a change in government.
Te Pāti Māori said it was disgusted but not surprised at the government's decision to fast-track the plan.
Te Pāti Māori co-leader and MP for Te Tai Hauāuru Debbie Ngarewa-Packer said seabed mining would wipe out habitats and compromise livelihoods of coastal communities.
The fast-track legislation is still with the Environment Select Committee.
MPs are due to report back in mid-October, after which the final project list will be attached and the legislation passed into law before the end of this year.