Greenpeace warns seabed mining risks threaten oceans, climate and Māori interests
Greenpeace Aotearoa campaigner Juressa Lee is calling on the Government to reject a proposed minerals agreement with the United States, as more than 26,000 people sign a petition urging Prime Minister Christopher Luxon not to proceed with the deal.
Lee, who is of Te Rarawa, Ngāpuhi and Rarotongan descent, says growing public opposition reflects widespread concern about foreign access to Aotearoa’s natural resources and the environmental risks associated with seabed mining.
The petition comes amid increasing international competition for critical minerals used in renewable energy technology and battery production, with governments and corporations seeking access to seabed resources including rare earth minerals and iron sands.
Environmental groups warn seabed mining poses major threats to fragile marine ecosystems, particularly off the Taranaki coast where proposals for iron sands extraction have faced years of legal and community opposition.
Greenpeace says disturbing the ocean floor could damage marine habitats, threaten fisheries, disrupt whale and dolphin migration routes and release large amounts of stored carbon from deep sea sediments.
Concerns are also being raised about the long-term impacts on customary fisheries and Māori relationships with the moana, with critics arguing extractive industries conflict with Indigenous principles of kaitiakitanga and environmental stewardship.
Lee says the strong public response to the petition demonstrates growing unease over overseas influence on New Zealand’s environmental decision-making and increasing resistance to large-scale resource extraction projects.
The proposed minerals agreement with the United States is understood to be linked to broader international efforts to secure mineral supply chains for clean energy technologies as countries move away from fossil fuels.
Greenpeace argues Aotearoa should instead focus on reducing mineral demand through recycling, resource efficiency and investment in truly sustainable renewable energy systems that do not rely on destructive mining practices.
The organisation is also calling for stronger protections for ocean ecosystems, greater Indigenous leadership in environmental governance and a transition strategy centred on conservation, climate resilience and community wellbeing rather than resource extraction.
Debate around seabed mining has intensified again in recent months as companies continue pushing for access to offshore mineral deposits despite earlier court rulings and widespread environmental opposition.
