Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta said today that the government will back a ‘conditional moratorium’ on deep sea mining in the high seas until strong deep sea mining regulations, supported by robust science, are in place.

Next week, the International Seabed Authority (ISA) will meet in Jamaica to continue negotiating the rules to regulate deep sea mining. New Zealand will bring its new strong position to the ISA, and the hope is that other countries will also back a moratorium.

Deep sea mining remains an imminent threat to the ocean and the lives and livelihoods of those who depend on it.

Image: Greenpeace