Slurry of iron sand mining permits
The company recently given marine consent to mine iron sand off the Taranaki coast has four other mining permits in the pipeline to mine massive areas of seabed, an activist group opposing the consent says.
Trans Tasman Resources were last week granted marine consent by the Environmental Protection Authority to mine 66 square kilometres of seabed in the South Taranaki Bight.
The consent allowed TTR to dredge 55 million tonnes of iron sand annually for 35 years.
Kiwis Against Seabed Mining spokeswoman Cindy Baxter said TTR had four more mining permits filed covering a total area of 6326sqkm.
The applications include a 815sqkm area surrounding the current consent, a 615sqkm area closer to Patea, a 238sqkm area off Kawhia, and a prospecting permit for 4435sqkm area off the west coast of the South Island.
A second company, Ironsands Offshore Mining, also had a prospecting permit for 235sqkm off New Plymouth, Baxter said.
KASM say the EPA’s decision to grant consent to TTR was flawed.
Baxter said KASM were looking at grounds for appealing the mining permit consent and the group intended to appeal.
If the marine consent granted by the EPA goes ahead, following any appeals, a precedent would be created for future seabed mining applications, she said.
The operation had ‘‘potentially devastating consequences’’ and was only passed because the chair of the decision making committee, Alick Shaw, had two votes, Baxter said.
The group claim TTR failed to back up the application and carry out marine mammal surveys, or benthic organism studies and did not measure ambient noise, nor look into the effects of sea bed mining on little penguins or fairy prions.
The company’s study of blue whales was also inadequate with only one aerial survey completed and a sightings from oil rigs in the South Taranaki Bight, Baxter said.
KASM also questioned TTR’s shareholding after a 48 per cent transfer of shares from Dutch based TTR Investment Holding Netherlands Cooperatie UA was made to Auckland based Minvest Securities (New Zealand) Ltd, which is 99 per cent owned by Auckland law firm Claymore Partners.
The transfer of shares was made three weeks before the application, Baxter said.
Minvest Securities, with a 33.6 per cent interest, is one of 43 separate shareholdings in TTR, according to the NZ Companies Office.
The securities lending allowed TTR ceo Alan Eggers to claim the company was at least 50 per cent New Zealand owned, she said.
Minvest Securities, with a 33.6 per cent interest, is one of 43 separate shareholdings in TTR, according to the NZ Companies Office.
TTR had four directors including Eggers, who lived in Perth, Claymore Law director John Seton, Rock Check Steel Group president Ronghua Zhang, of Tianjin, China, and Andrew Stewart, of Lower Hutt.
TTR did not respond to emails by time of publication.
Man falls in river
A man has been taken to hospital after falling into a north Taranaki river. Acting Sergeant Craig O’Doherty said the man slipped down a bank and into the Tongaporutu River about 12.50pm yesterday. Police and ambulance staff along with the Taranaki Community Rescue Helicopter were called to the scene near Ahititi but the man managed to get himself out of the water. O’Doherty said it was believed the man had broken his leg or hip in the fall.
Pair deny selling
A couple at the centre of an alleged methamphetamine operation have been released from prison on electronically monitored bail. Dion James Hunt, 55, and Ada Sharon Pue, 56, were granted bail after a hearing in the New Plymouth District Court on Thursday. Their release from custody was opposed by police. During the hearing, Hunt and Pue both entered not guilty pleas to conspiring to sell methamphetamine, supplying methamphetamine and possession for supply. A jury trial was elected in the case. After granting bail for the couple to two different Waitara addresses, Judge Chris Sygrove remanded them to reappear in court for a case review on October 19.
Curator curated
The assistant Len Lye curator at New Plymouth’s contemporary art museum has been awarded a spot in the 2017 Curators programme. Sarah Wall, of Govett-Brewster Art Gallery/ Len Lye, was one of three successful candidates selected to attend the Asia New Zealand and Creative New Zealand programme in Taiwan and Japan over a two to three-week period in October. There the curators will visit leading art museums, galleries, and artist spaces to build their professional networks and explore possible future collaborations and artistic exchanges. Wall was particularly interested in visiting institutions, exhibitions and artists working in and across the fields of contemporary moving images and media arts.