Latest news with #TaranakiRegionalCouncil
Scoop
2 days ago
- Politics
- Scoop
We Haven't Sold Out: Council To Clarify Seabed Mine Stance
Article – Craig Ashworth – Local Democracy Reporting Taranaki Regional Council is going public against accusations it has sold out to would-be seabed miners Trans-Tasman Resources. Taranaki Regional Council is going public against accusations it has sold out to would-be seabed miners Trans-Tasman Resources. The Australian company has a permit to mine the seabed off Pātea for an initial 20 years, seeking to extract iron, titanium and vanadium. But Trans-Tasman Resources (TTR) can't begin mining until it gets discharge consents to pump 45 million tonnes of unwanted sediment a year into the ocean. Iwi and community opponents of seabed mining spoke to councillors meeting on Tuesday morning, urging them to stand with their communities against the proposed mine. But the regional council wants to hang on to any influence it might have in the government's new Fast-track process – and fears taking a public stand might block it from decision-making. Councillor Bonita Bigham said Taranaki Regional Council (TRC) needed to state clearly what it's trying to achieve by staying neutral for now. 'I've been… attacked on social media [and] in private for not having a position,' the Māori constituency councillor said. 'I've been accused of being a sell-out and having been bought out by TTR… I think this is a real risk to our reputation as an organisation.' Bigham said those in the room – including opponents – understood the reason for neutrality. 'But we've got 100,000 people out there who don't understand why we aren't saying something.' As previously published by Local Democracy Reporting, TRC has three likely ways to have a say on the fate of Trans-Tasman's application under the Fast-track Approvals Act The council will help pick one of the four (or more) panel members that will approve or deny the seabed mining. And TRC staff are almost certain they'll be a relevant local authority and be one of the few groups allowed to formally comment on Trans-Tasman's application – and on any consent conditions. Councillor Susan Hughes KC advised elected members to be cautious even in their private lives. 'It's just a useful thing to remind ourselves that it's not helpful if we're expressing opinions we think are informal at a social gathering or something like that – it has the potential for coming back to bite us.' She advised councillors keep the discussion between themselves 'so we don't risk undermining the effectiveness that we might otherwise wish to bring to bear on behalf of the regional council.' Council chair Craig Williamson said individuals could have personal discussions to help form their views, but agreed the council would issue a press release to make its position clear.
Scoop
2 days ago
- Politics
- Scoop
We Haven't Sold Out: Council To Clarify Seabed Mine Stance
Taranaki Regional Council is going public against accusations it has sold out to would-be seabed miners Trans-Tasman Resources. The Australian company has a permit to mine the seabed off Pātea for an initial 20 years, seeking to extract iron, titanium and vanadium. But Trans-Tasman Resources (TTR) can't begin mining until it gets discharge consents to pump 45 million tonnes of unwanted sediment a year into the ocean. Iwi and community opponents of seabed mining spoke to councillors meeting on Tuesday morning, urging them to stand with their communities against the proposed mine. But the regional council wants to hang on to any influence it might have in the government's new Fast-track process - and fears taking a public stand might block it from decision-making. Councillor Bonita Bigham said Taranaki Regional Council (TRC) needed to state clearly what it's trying to achieve by staying neutral for now. "I've been… attacked on social media [and] in private for not having a position," the Māori constituency councillor said. "I've been accused of being a sell-out and having been bought out by TTR… I think this is a real risk to our reputation as an organisation." Bigham said those in the room - including opponents - understood the reason for neutrality. "But we've got 100,000 people out there who don't understand why we aren't saying something." As previously published by Local Democracy Reporting, TRC has three likely ways to have a say on the fate of Trans-Tasman's application under the Fast-track Approvals Act The council will help pick one of the four (or more) panel members that will approve or deny the seabed mining. And TRC staff are almost certain they'll be a relevant local authority and be one of the few groups allowed to formally comment on Trans-Tasman's application - and on any consent conditions. Councillor Susan Hughes KC advised elected members to be cautious even in their private lives. "It's just a useful thing to remind ourselves that it's not helpful if we're expressing opinions we think are informal at a social gathering or something like that - it has the potential for coming back to bite us." She advised councillors keep the discussion between themselves "so we don't risk undermining the effectiveness that we might otherwise wish to bring to bear on behalf of the regional council." Council chair Craig Williamson said individuals could have personal discussions to help form their views, but agreed the council would issue a press release to make its position clear.
Scoop
4 days ago
- Politics
- Scoop
Regional Council Commits To Engaging On Seabed Mining Application Process
Taranaki Regional Council is keenly aware of and understands the desire from the community to state a position on the TTR seabed mining application, says Chair Craig Williamson. 'The Council is fully committed to its task of engaging with the process as maybe the region's only 'relevant local authority,' which brings certain opportunities to input into and potentially influence the outcome that other councils and the public will not have,' Mr Williamson says. 'Any formal position taken at this time by the Council will jeopardise its ability to participate, because of bias and predetermination. Council cannot be considered to offer fair and balanced advice, evidence and opinions on the application if it has a fomalised, publicly stated position on the matter. 'Because the Fast Track Approvals Act 2024 introduced by the Coalition Government does not give the public the ability to freely submit on the application, the Council considers it essential that it be able to participate in the process. 'This means that for now, the Council must maintain a neutral stance to ensure that is allowed to continue to participate in the fast-track approvals process but will reassess its position after considering the all the latest information and data made available during the submission process.' The Council expects to be considered and confirmed by the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) as a 'relevant local authority' in the very near future, although this is still subject to confirmation by the EPA. Under the Fast Track Approvals Act, a decision on the application will solely be made by a panel created by the EPA for this purpose 'It is critical for the regional council to have a voice in this process as the legislation provides limited opportunities for public input. Waiting to consider all the information enables the Taranaki Regional Council to have a seat at the table,' adds Mr Williamson. 'If the regional council is identified as a 'relevant local authority' our responsibilities are to nominate a member to that decision-making panel, provide written comments on the application and, if a hearing is held, being able to speak to those comments. 'We would also provide additional information if requested by the EPA and provide comments on the conditions if the panel decides to grant the application. If the application is approved, we would expect to be involved in monitoring of the consent conditions.' The panel is expected to be appointed by mid to late July and the Council will be able to provide details of its appointee when the full panel members are identified. By law, the Fast Track Approvals Act only allows relevant local authorities, identified iwi authorities, and select others to make written comments on the application. Other local authorities and the public are excluded from making submissions unless invited to do so by the panel. While the Council, as the relevant local authority, will not initially be taking a formal stance on the application, Mr Williamson confirms it will be able to do so at the time of providing the Council's written comments.
NZ Herald
4 days ago
- Business
- NZ Herald
Taranaki Regional Council to clarify seabed mine stance
Taranaki Regional Council is going public against accusations it has sold out to would-be seabed miners Trans-Tasman Resources. The Australian company has a permit to mine the seabed off Pātea for an initial 20 years, seeking to extract iron, titanium and vanadium. But Trans-Tasman Resources (TTR) cannot begin mining until
RNZ News
4 days ago
- Politics
- RNZ News
We haven't sold out: council to clarify seabed mine stance
Councillor Bonita Bigham says she's been accused of selling out to the seabed miners, and a public statement is needed. Photo: LDR / Te Korimako o Taranaki Taranaki Regional Council is going public against accusations it has sold out to would-be seabed miners Trans-Tasman Resources. The Australian company has a permit to mine the seabed off Pātea for an initial 20 years, seeking to extract iron, titanium and vanadium. But Trans-Tasman Resources (TTR) can't begin mining until it gets discharge consents to pump 45 million tonnes of unwanted sediment a year into the ocean. Iwi and community opponents of seabed mining spoke to councillors meeting on Tuesday morning, urging them to stand with their communities against the proposed mine. But the regional council wants to hang on to any influence it might have in the government's new Fast-track process - and fears taking a public stand might block it from decision-making. Councillor Bonita Bigham said Taranaki Regional Council (TRC) needed to state clearly what it's trying to achieve by staying neutral for now. "I've been… attacked on social media [and] in private for not having a position," the Māori constituency councillor said. "I've been accused of being a sell-out and having been bought out by TTR… I think this is a real risk to our reputation as an organisation." Bigham said those in the room - including opponents - understood the reason for neutrality. "But we've got 100,000 people out there who don't understand why we aren't saying something." As previously published by Local Democracy Reporting, TRC has three likely ways to have a say on the fate of Trans-Tasman's application under the Fast-track Approvals Act The council will help pick one of the four (or more) panel members that will approve or deny the seabed mining. And TRC staff are almost certain they'll be a relevant local authority and be one of the few groups allowed to formally comment on Trans-Tasman's application - and on any consent conditions. Councillor Susan Hughes KC advised elected members to be cautious even in their private lives. "It's just a useful thing to remind ourselves that it's not helpful if we're expressing opinions we think are informal at a social gathering or something like that - it has the potential for coming back to bite us." She advised councillors keep the discussion between themselves "so we don't risk undermining the effectiveness that we might otherwise wish to bring to bear on behalf of the regional council." Council chair Craig Williamson said individuals could have personal discussions to help form their views, but agreed the council would issue a press release to make its position clear. LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
