Submission on the Inquiry into Seabed Mining in New Zealand

23 June 2023

In 2023 the government announced it would conduct an inquiry into seabed mining after a members' bill seeking to ban the practice was voted down at its first reading. Caritas also made an oral submission to the select committee on 13 July.

• Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand is calling for a complete ban on seabed mining. We believe seabed mining has the potential to cause environmental, cultural, and economic harms.

• The severity, large spatial scale, longevity, and uncertainty associated with these harms means seabed mining is never worth the risk. Even world-leading scientific analysis of well-studied charismatic species in 2023 lacks the level of certainty we would consider sufficient to mitigate these risks.

• We believe it is a mistake to compare seabed and land-based mining, as there are preferable alternatives including transitioning to a circular economy and geothermal brine extraction. Even if this comparison is made, seabed mining may be worse than land-based.

• Civil society, parliamentarians, and grassroots communities across the Pacific are calling out for an end to seabed mining. The best way for Aotearoa New Zealand to support our Pacific neighbours is to ban the practice.