November 03, 2022
Government urged to catch up on seabed mining ban
Māori Party co-leader Debbie Ngarewa Packer says she’s pushing ahead with her members bill to ban seabed mining, even though the Government has signed up for a call for a moratorium on mining in international waters.
She says that doesn’t go far enough when there is an immediate threat off the coast of Taranaki.
“We would have preferred that the Government shows real leadership and just says kaore, but I guess we expected them to be too safe and too slow but at least they are taking some steps towards where the rest of us are calling which is to ban this type of activity and to never ever compromise the future of our ocean and the future of our planet for our mokopuna,” she says.
Debbie Ngarewa Packer says the decision by Germany this week to support a ban on all seabed mining could bring much needed international pressure to the issue.