Draft decision declines Taranaki seabed mining proposal

Friday, 6 February 2026

The proposal to mine the seabed off the South Taranaki coast has long been controversial with strong local resistance to the idea.

A bid to mine millions of tonnes of iron ore from the seabed off the South Taranaki coast has been declined in a draft decision by the Fast-Track Approvals panel.

The panel released its 436 page draft decision on Thursday night and mining company Trans Tasman Resources (TTR) now has until February 19 to comment.

Trans- Tasman Resources chief executive Alan Eggers said he found the draft ruling difficult to accept. (File photo)

Reasons for declining the proposal included underwater noise, sediment plume, and that material harm was likely to occur to Māui dolphins and that there was a credible risk of material harm to other marine mammal species and kororā/little penguin.

In statement to the Australian stock exchange, TTR executive chairperson Alan Eggers said he found it difficult to accept the panel intended to turn down the project’s environmental approvals “with concerns on almost every aspect”.

“All the concerns raised by the expert panel were fully addressed in our application,” he said.

The statement to the stock exchange said TTR would review the draft decision and consider its options.

The company wanted to mine 50 million tonnes of seabed a year over a 20 year period in the South Taranaki Bight.

Te Pati Maori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer has been a prominent voice in the fight against seabed mining. (File photo)

A spokesperson for Resources Minister Shane Jones indicated he would wait for the final ruling before commenting.

Jones had previously appeared to voice confidence to Parliament the mining scheme would be approved.

In a written statement, Te Pāti Māori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer said the draft decision to decline was a win for those who had spent years fighting to protect the moana.

“My 84-year-old Papa is ecstatic,” she said.

In its 436-page report, the Expert Panel found the project should be declined because the adverse effects on the environment and tikanga Māori values outweighed the benefits.

“This was meant to showcase Fast-track. Instead, it shows exactly why it doesn’t work,” Ngarewa-Packer said.

“Fast-track doesn’t remove risk. It removes accountability. And bad projects still fail.”

While the company may still attempt to challenge the decision, Te Pāti Māori said this moment belonged to those iwi, hapū and coastal communities who held the line.

“Our moana is not for sale.”