Mining company loses appeal to mine ironsands off Taranaki coast

A mining company has lost a bid to overturn a decision preventing it from mining millions of tonnes of ironsands off the coast of Taranaki.

The Court of Appeal has dismissed an attempt by Trans-Tasman Resources to overturn a 2018 High Court decision quashing the original consents.

It has found there were multiple errors of law in the Environmental Protection Authority’s approach to granting consents in 2017.

It says the authority focused on sustainable management instead of its primary objective of protecting the environment.

The court also found it failed to recognise the kaitiakitanga relationship between tangata whenua and the marine environment as a relevant “existing interest”.