Iwi granted Waitangi Tribunal hearing into fast-tracked plans to mine seabed off Pātea
People marching through Patea in a hīkoi to oppose seabed mining, on 2 October, 2024.
Photo:
Supplied/ Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Ruanui Trust
The Waitangi Tribunal has granted iwi a hearing into the way the Fast-track Approvals Act has been used to seek approval to mine the seabed off Pātea.
Trans-Tasman Resources (TTR) has applied under the legislation to mine in the South Taranaki Bight.
South Taranaki iwi Ngāti Ruanui asked the tribunal to investigate alleged breaches of the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi
in the fast-track approvals process
.
Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Ruanui Trust Kaiwhakahaere Rachel Arnott said the legislation excluded iwi and hapu from meaningful engagement when it mattered most.
"The government has failed comprehensively under fast-track to consult with tangata whenua, ignored the Supreme Court and is failing to apply the principles of Te Tiriti.
"Anything worth doing is worth doing right, and this government is doing it all wrong."
The tribunal will now consider whether the government has breached Treaty of Waitangi principles and if it failed to sufficiently involve or consider rangatiratanga, kaitiakitanga and the customary rights of Ngāti Ruanui.
The tribunal stated the iwi's claim falls within the scope of the
Natural Resources and Environmental Management kaupapa inquiry
.
Along with Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Ruanui, other claimant groups include:
Groups outside Taranaki facing applications have also joined, including Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Porou ki Hauraki.
All eight Taranaki iwi have publicly opposed the seabed mining project.
In May, Ngā Iwi o Taranaki released a statement on behalf of the eight post-settlement governance entity iwi of Taranaki, voicing their support for South Taranaki iwi in their opposition to seabed mining off the coast of Pātea.
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