Call for Cooks govt to consider risks of seabed mining

An environmental organisation says the Cook Islands government must focus as much on the potential environmental risks of seabed mining as it does on the economic benefits. 

In recent weeks, the government has been holding public meetings to hear feedback on its plan to open tenders for five-year, deep sea mining exploration licences at the beginning of next year.

Kelvin Passfield, of Te Ipukarea Society told Tim Glasgow little is known about the biodiversity in the exploration area.