{"id":77214,"date":"2026-05-19T19:41:43","date_gmt":"2026-05-19T07:41:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/aotearoa\/?p=77214"},"modified":"2026-05-19T19:41:47","modified_gmt":"2026-05-19T07:41:47","slug":"26000-strong-petition-urges-no-minerals-deal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/aotearoa\/press-release\/26000-strong-petition-urges-no-minerals-deal\/","title":{"rendered":"26,000 strong petition urges no minerals deal\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Greenpeace today delivered <\/strong>a petition<\/strong><\/a> signed by over 26,000 people urging Prime Minister Chris Luxon to not sign a minerals deal with the USA.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

Greenpeace illustrated the public opposition to the deal with a depiction of Luxon and Trump riding a US branded missile. <\/p>\n\n

\"Two<\/figure>\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re here today to highlight the concerns of more than 26,000 people that Luxon intends to prioritise foreign interests over the environment of Aotearoa,\u201d says Greenpeace Aotearoa campaigner Juressa Lee.<\/p>\n\n

\"Campaigner<\/figure>\n\n

Prime Minister Luxon is expected to sign a deal soon to provide the USA priority access to minerals they regard as \u2018critical\u2019. Many of the minerals listed by the USA as critical have military applications, including vanadium, which is found off the coast of Taranaki. <\/p>\n\n

\u201cThe people of Aotearoa don\u2019t want mining companies to destroy our precious ecosystems, locking us into the US military supply chain,\u201d says Lee. \u201cThe response to the petition has been huge and shows us the issue has really touched a nerve.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

Greenpeace launched its petition in February when it was revealed the Government was in secretive talks with the USA. <\/p>\n\n

\u201cPeople are understandably very concerned that the Government is negotiating a deal that will bind us to the US industrial-military complex,\u201d says Lee. \u201cWe don\u2019t want Aotearoa to supply Trump\u2019s war minerals. Most people would like Luxon to show the integrity and courage required to stand up against a deal that compromises our values.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

Yet the Government is pushing ahead with its pro-mining and pro-USA agenda. Last week its controversial bill opening up conservation areas to commercial interests passed its first reading in Parliament. And on Thursday, the Government hosted a high-level delegation from the USA alongside New Zealand mining industry executives and lobbyists in his Beehive office.<\/p>\n\n

\u201cWe need to move away from extractive industries that destroy the whenua and moana,\u201d says Lee. \u201cOur future generations depend on us to build a sustainable, circular economy that values people and Papat\u016b\u0101nuku.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

Lee adds that the rush for minerals undermines the very possibility of a just and green energy transition. <\/p>\n\n

\u201cOpening new mines for a green energy transition is a false solution,\u201d says Lee. \u201cResearch shows minerals can be administered for a clean renewable energy transformation in a way that protects ecosystems from terrestrial or deep sea mining of so-called \u2018critical\u2019 minerals. Governments need to prioritise mineral use for essential energy transition purposes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

\u201cOur movement stopped seabed mining in its tracks \u2014 we can stop this deal too,\u201d says Lee.<\/p>\n\n

Greenpeace invited the Prime Minister to accept the petition but he declined. Labour Party spokesperson for Energy and Resources Megan Woods accepted the petition to present to Parliament. MPs from the Green Party and Te P\u0101ti M\u0101ori were also present.<\/p>\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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