{"id":78173,"date":"2026-08-11T12:06:30","date_gmt":"2026-08-11T00:06:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/aotearoa\/?p=78173"},"modified":"2026-08-11T12:14:09","modified_gmt":"2026-08-11T00:14:09","slug":"what-it-takes-to-fight-deep-sea-mining-and-protect-the-pacific-from-us-imperialism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/aotearoa\/story\/what-it-takes-to-fight-deep-sea-mining-and-protect-the-pacific-from-us-imperialism\/","title":{"rendered":"What it takes to fight Deep Sea Mining, and protect the Pacific from US imperialism"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Indigenous representation at the International Seabed Authority is crucial to protect the moana for all humankind and for future generations. This is more vital than ever as the Trump administration pushes for US access to so called \u2018critical\u2019 minerals and deep sea mining threatens the Pacific Ocean<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n<h2 id=\"h-defending-te-moana-nui-a-kiwa\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Defending Te Moana-Nui-a-Kiwa<\/h2>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I am writing this from Kingston, Jamaica, at the annual session of the International Seabed Authority (ISA).&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Decisions are being made inside these halls that could open the Pacific Ocean floor to commercial deep sea mining \u2014 a destructive practice that threatens fragile marine ecosystems, including habitats that we need to keep our planet healthy and liveable.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The ISA is an international organisation charged with regulating minerals-related activity in the deep seabed of international waters. Importantly, the deep seabed is legally designated as the common heritage of all humankind.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"ISA delegates called on to defend the deep at Assembly meeting\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/8x3mUyq4vY8?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s vital for Pacific Peoples to be in these rooms, as they are on the frontline of this fight. We participate in this space with \u2018observer status\u2019, but this term falls far short of describing the relationship we have maintained with the Pacific Ocean, as its first stewards and guardians, for millenia.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If Indigenous voices are absent, our unique collective rights \u2014 and who we are \u2014 are at risk. Foreign states and wannabe corporate miners will reduce our ancestral waters to a resource that could be exploited, with profits for only a few.<\/p>\n\n<h2 id=\"h-the-barriers-to-our-participation\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">The barriers to our participation<\/h2>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Getting to this meeting was a battle long before the opening plenary.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Frontline and Indigenous advocates face immense institutional barriers including getting observer accreditation, (because rights holders mean nothing in this space), and limited floor access, which is needed to make statements, enriching talks with more diverse perspectives.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Overcoming those barriers requires an incredible physical, financial, and emotional toll.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Travelling halfway across the globe on a shoestring budget \u2014 funded by community support and sheer determination \u2014 comes with constant uncertainty and brings fatigue. Travelling as a brown, Indigenous woman means avoiding hostile routes and connections which compounds expenses and time away from my everyday responsibilities.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But I endure all of this because our ocean and our people can\u2019t afford for me to be anything but hopeful, persistent, and brave.<\/p>\n\n<h2 id=\"h-the-united-states-aggressive-push-for-unilateral-mining\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">The United States\u2019 aggressive push for unilateral mining<\/h2>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The pressure inside the ISA is directly connected to a broader geopolitical push. Under the Trump administration, the US and mining companies such as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/aotearoa\/story\/the-metals-company-5-things-to-know-about-the-company-trying-to-start-deep-sea-mining\/\">The Metals Company<\/a> are moving toward a unilateral mining code. By invoking domestic laws like the <em>Deep Seabed Hard Mineral Resources Act<\/em>, US interests are seeking to bypass international agreements including the United Nations Convention of the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). They\u2019re also trying to bypass the ISA altogether \u2014 setting a dangerous precedent where super power nations grant themselves the right to tear up international waters.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This push poses legal risks for our Pacific nations. If government agencies allow their research vessels \u2014 such as New Zealand&#8217;s <em>RV Tangaroa<\/em> or the Cook Islands\u2019 <em>MV Anuanua Moana<\/em> \u2014 to gather data for deep sea mining exploration, these governments risk complicity in breaches of international law.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"557\" title=\"Activists protest Deep Sea Mining in the Cook Islands\" src=\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-aotearoa-stateless\/2025\/10\/fee4dd26-gp0su75o1_low-res-800px.jpg\" alt=\"Cook Island activists in kayaks hold a banner reading &quot;Don't Mine the Moana&quot; in front of a ship that is returning to port in Rarotonga after conducting research that could be used to fast track seabed mining\" class=\"wp-image-74410\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-aotearoa-stateless\/2025\/10\/fee4dd26-gp0su75o1_low-res-800px.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-aotearoa-stateless\/2025\/10\/fee4dd26-gp0su75o1_low-res-800px-600x418.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-aotearoa-stateless\/2025\/10\/fee4dd26-gp0su75o1_low-res-800px-768x535.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-aotearoa-stateless\/2025\/10\/fee4dd26-gp0su75o1_low-res-800px-488x340.jpg 488w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><figcaption aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-element-caption\">Cook Island activists peacefully confront the Nautilus at Rarotonga port. The research being conducted on the Nautilus is funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Ocean Exploration Cooperation Institute and comes just six months after President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order tasking NOAA to fast track the licensing process for deep sea mining.<div class=\"credit icon-left\"> \u00a9 Robin Hammond \/ Greenpeace<\/div><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n<h2 id=\"h-jared-novelly-and-the-geopolitical-threat\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Jared Novelly and the geopolitical threat<\/h2>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The newly appointed US Ambassador to Aotearoa New Zealand, the Cook Islands, Niue, and Samoa, is Trump\u2019s friend and oil billionaire, Jared Novelly.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Novelly publicly stated that securing so-called \u2018critical\u2019 seabed minerals \u2014 particularly in the Cook Islands \u2014 is his top priority. This is in spite of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cookislandsnews.com\/internal\/national\/environment\/election-2026\/majority-of-cook-islands-voters-oppose-seabed-mining-poll-shows\/\">Cook Islands\u2019 voters overwhelming opposition<\/a> to seabed mining.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At the same time, the Trump Administration is negotiating a minerals deal with NZ, as they have been with other countries, to stockpile for both defense and industrial needs. Our ocean could be stripped of minerals to serve the US war mongering and genocide being carried out right now.<\/p>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" title=\"&quot;Trump War Minerals HQ&quot; Rebrand Action in New Zealand\" src=\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-aotearoa-stateless\/2026\/08\/a5d4235f-gp0su8h0y.jpg\" alt=\"Greenpeace Aotearoa rebrands Prime Ministers Electorate Office. \u2028\u2028\nThe activists have remodeled the New Zealand Prime Minister\u2019s electoral office, converting it into Trump\u2019s war minerals headquarters in protest of a proposed critical minerals deal with the American President.\nTrump is demanding New Zealand agrees to a deal to provide the USA with minerals they regard as \u2018critical\u2019 - many of which have military applications.\nGreenpeace Aotearoa is calling on Prime Minister Luxon to say no to a critical minerals deal with the U.S.A.\" class=\"wp-image-78174\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-aotearoa-stateless\/2026\/08\/a5d4235f-gp0su8h0y.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-aotearoa-stateless\/2026\/08\/a5d4235f-gp0su8h0y-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-aotearoa-stateless\/2026\/08\/a5d4235f-gp0su8h0y-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-aotearoa-stateless\/2026\/08\/a5d4235f-gp0su8h0y-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-aotearoa-stateless\/2026\/08\/a5d4235f-gp0su8h0y-510x340.jpg 510w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-element-caption\">Greenpeace Aotearoa rebrands Prime Ministers Electorate Office. Trump is demanding New Zealand agrees to a deal to provide the USA with minerals they regard as \u2018critical\u2019 &#8211; many of which have military applications Greenpeace Aotearoa is calling on Prime Minister Luxon to say no to a critical minerals deal with the U.S.A.<div class=\"credit icon-left\"> \u00a9 Dom  Zapata \/ Greenpeace<\/div><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Alarmingly, Novelly also took shots at our proud nuclear-free policy in Aotearoa, expressing a desire to &#8220;go back in time&#8221; to roll back the historic laws that keep foreign nuclear warships out of our harbours.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We must reject Jared Novelly\u2019s rhetoric and the foreign mineral deals being forced upon Pacific nations. The ocean floor isn\u2019t a side quest for rich kids, nor is it collateral for the United States\u2019 military agenda.<\/p>\n\n<h2 id=\"h-corporate-capture-of-the-isa\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Corporate capture of the ISA<\/h2>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A big issue discussed at this Assembly meeting was the request from contractors \u2014 i.e. the companies that wish to mine the seafloor \u2014 to be given observer status. They expect the privilege to attend official meetings, listen to discussions and contribute when observers are invited.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Disappointingly, the <em>only <\/em>substantive decision of the week is that contractors now have the right to attend and speak at the next session of assembly. The mining industry has direct access to countries to push their agenda and lobby, and validates our concerns.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Those that need to be regulated will be able to influence their own regulations. For frontline communities and Indigenous Peoples, this means competing with our polluter hopefuls over an already shrunken space, just to be heard.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n<h2 id=\"h-people-won-t-benefit-from-deep-sea-mining\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">People won&#8217;t benefit from deep sea mining<\/h2>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Any minerals extraction from the seabed in international waters is required to benefit all of humanity, particularly lower-income nations that have long been exploited for resources. Yet, the current profit-sharing plans show little evidence of delivering real financial fairness. <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to a recent <a href=\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/international\/publication\/81719\/equity-benefit-sharing-financial-architecture-international-seabed-area\/\">independent economic study by Greenpeace<\/a>, the projected earnings are so insignificant compared to national economies that they simply cannot justify the immense risk to the deep ocean.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n<h2 id=\"h-our-nuclear-free-legacy-we-ve-defeated-superpowers-before\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Our Nuclear-Free Legacy: We\u2019ve defeated superpowers before<\/h2>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Our resistance isn\u2019t a new thing. Aotearoa and the broader Pacific built a proud legacy by standing up to global superpowers \u2014 rejecting nuclear testing and declaring a Nuclear-Free Pacific.<\/p>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" title=\"MV Greenpeace in Action Against Pacific Nuclear Test\" src=\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-aotearoa-stateless\/2026\/08\/cc632eeb-gp0bf9_low-res-800px.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-78176\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-aotearoa-stateless\/2026\/08\/cc632eeb-gp0bf9_low-res-800px.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-aotearoa-stateless\/2026\/08\/cc632eeb-gp0bf9_low-res-800px-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-aotearoa-stateless\/2026\/08\/cc632eeb-gp0bf9_low-res-800px-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-aotearoa-stateless\/2026\/08\/cc632eeb-gp0bf9_low-res-800px-510x340.jpg 510w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><figcaption aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-element-caption\">MV Greenpeace With Banner &#8220;Nuclear Free Pacific&#8221; in Pacific Ocean.  MV Greenpeace in action to protest against Pacific nuclear test, after Rainbow Warrior sinking.<div class=\"credit icon-left\"> \u00a9 Greenpeace \/ F. Baptista<\/div><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Protecting our sea floor today from deep sea mining is a continuation of that same fight against foreign militarism and exploitation of our people and our home. Just as our elder generation stood firm against nuclear expansion, we must stand firm today: Te Moana-Nui-a-Kiwa is not for sale, and it will not be sacrificed.<\/p>\n\t\t\t<section\n\t\t\tclass=\"boxout post-52168 \"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\tdata-ga-category=\"Take Action Boxout\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-ga-action=\"Image\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-ga-label=\"n\/a\"\n\t\t\t\tclass=\"cover-card-overlay\"\n\t\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/aotearoa\/petition\/petition-stop-deep-sea-mining\/\" \n\t\t\t><\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img\n\t\t\t\t\t\tsrc=\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-aotearoa-stateless\/2022\/06\/0ac18dd4-miner-1024x535.jpg\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tsrcset=\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-aotearoa-stateless\/2022\/06\/0ac18dd4-miner-600x314.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-aotearoa-stateless\/2022\/06\/0ac18dd4-miner-1024x535.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-aotearoa-stateless\/2022\/06\/0ac18dd4-miner-768x401.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-aotearoa-stateless\/2022\/06\/0ac18dd4-miner-510x266.jpg 510w, https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-aotearoa-stateless\/2022\/06\/0ac18dd4-miner.jpg 1200w\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tsizes=\"(min-width: 1000px) 358px, (min-width: 780px) 313px, 88px\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\talt=\"\" title=\"\"\n\t\t\t\t\/>\n            \t\t\t<div class=\"boxout-content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"boxout-heading medium\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tdata-ga-category=\"Take Action Boxout\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tdata-ga-action=\"Title\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tdata-ga-label=\"n\/a\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/aotearoa\/petition\/petition-stop-deep-sea-mining\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\t\tPETITION: Stop deep sea mining\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"boxout-excerpt\">It\u2019s time for New Zealand to take a stand. Join our call on the New Zealand government to back a global moratorium on seabed mining.\n<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t                                    <a\n                        class=\"btn btn-primary\"\n                        data-ga-category=\"Take Action Boxout\"\n                        data-ga-action=\"Call to Action\"\n                        data-ga-label=\"n\/a\"\n                        href=\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/aotearoa\/petition\/petition-stop-deep-sea-mining\/\"\n                        \n                    >\n                        Take Action\n                    <\/a>\n                \t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/section>\n\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Indigenous representation at the International Seabed Authority is crucial to protect the moana for all humankind and for future generations. This is more vital than ever as the Trump administration pushes for US access to so called \u2018critical\u2019 minerals and deep sea mining threatens the Pacific Ocean.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":72,"featured_media":78169,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_planet4_optimize_post_is_variant":false,"_planet4_optimize_experiment_name":"","_planet4_optimize_variant_name":"","ep_exclude_from_search":false,"p4_og_title":"","p4_og_description":"","p4_og_image":"","p4_og_image_id":"","p4_seo_canonical_url":"","p4_campaign_name":"Stop Deep Sea Mining","p4_local_project":"OCEANS Seabed Mining","p4_basket_name":"","p4_department":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[25,109],"p4-page-type":[6],"class_list":["post-78173","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-greenpeace","tag-oceans","tag-seabed-mining","p4-page-type-story"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.8 (Yoast SEO v26.8) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>What it takes to fight Deep Sea Mining, and protect the Pacific from US imperialism<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/aotearoa\/story\/what-it-takes-to-fight-deep-sea-mining-and-protect-the-pacific-from-us-imperialism\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What it takes to fight Deep Sea Mining, and protect the Pacific from US imperialism\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Indigenous representation at the International Seabed Authority is crucial to protect the moana for all humankind and for future generations. This is more vital than ever as the Trump administration pushes for US access to so called \u2018critical\u2019 minerals and deep sea mining threatens the Pacific Ocean.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/aotearoa\/story\/what-it-takes-to-fight-deep-sea-mining-and-protect-the-pacific-from-us-imperialism\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Greenpeace Aotearoa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/greenpeace.nz\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-08-11T00:06:30+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-11T00:14:09+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-aotearoa-stateless\/2026\/08\/e0b343be-image.jpeg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2048\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1536\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" 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