June 30, 2022
Kaitiaki message strikes chord in Lisbon
Te Pāti Māori co leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer says the idea of moratoriums on seabed mining is starting to gain traction.
Ms Ngarewa Packer is at the United Nations Oceans Conference in Lisbon, Portugal, where she is part of a contingent of Pacific parliamentarians rather than with the New Zealand delegation.
She is sharing her experience of fighting efforts to mine for ironsand off south Taranaki.
“The common theme is kaitiakitanga and that there have to be alternative ways to economically thrive without leaving us as tangata whenua with an ocean that have been killed off. We’ve been repeating some clear messages – we’ve got to move from this economically predatory perspective,” she says.
Ms Ngarewa-Packer says much of the work at the conference is being done behind the scenes.