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Environment Minister David Parker said there was a range of
strong views on seabed mining and a review would give New
Zealanders a say on the issue.
"Concerns about the environmental impacts of seabed mining need
to be considered, along with the potential role that minerals
recovered by seabed mining could play in New Zealand’s
transition to a decarbonised economy,” Parker said in a
statement.
Seabed mining is allowed in New Zealand but it has to be
approved by the Environmental Protection Agency. Although three
projects have been proposed to the agency none has been given
final clearance.
An increasingly contentious debate is happening over whether the
world's seabeds should be mined for nickel and other green
energy transition minerals.
Last October, New Zealand backed a conditional moratorium on
seabed mining in areas beyond national jurisdiction.
"New Zealand’s international position does not require the
government to change its domestic approach to seabed mining. But
having backed a conditional moratorium, it is timely to examine
our own regulatory settings," Parker said.
Feedback and inquiry findings from the review would inform any
regulatory changes, the government said.
(Reporting by Lucy Craymer; Editing by Robert Birsel)
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