June 17, 2022
Packer in UN call for seabed mining ban
Maori Party co-leader Debbie Ngarewa Packer is heading for the United Nation’s Our Ocean Conference in Lisbon, Portugal to spearhead a Pasifika push for a ban on seabed mining.
The conference theme is “Our Ocean, Our People, Our Prosperity’.
Ms Ngarewa-Packer, who before entering Parliament was a leader in Nga Rauru’s efforts to stop ironsand mining off South Taranaki, says she has her own invite.
“New Zealand’s delegation won’t accept me unless I toe the line so I’m going as a Pasifika-registered politician, and we are calling on the rest of the world to support our call to put a moratorium on seabed mining and protect our oceans in the Pacific, actually in the world, so it’s a real honour to be asked,” she says.
She leaves on Tuesday.