Seabed mining company to engage with Southern Pa Enua for first time
One of the three seabed mining companies exploring the Cook Islands seabed for deep sea nodules will be visiting the Southern Pa Enua for the first time next week as part of its expanded community engagement programme.
Moana Minerals chief executive officer, Hans Smit, confirmed yesterday that the team will depart Rarotonga this Sunday, June 15, on a week-long outreach tour of Mangaia, Mauke, Mitiaro and Atiu.
“Moana Minerals has decided that it’s time, other than just engaging with folks on Rarotonga and Aitutaki, that we need to expand our community engagement programme,” said Smit.
“And to this end, we are engaging on a trip as of Sunday, the 15th, and we are heading down to the Southern Cooks, and we will start on Mangaia, and we’ll spend two days there before we head across to Mauke, Mitiaro, and finally at Atiu.”
This will be the company’s first direct engagement with these Pa Enua communities since Moana Minerals began its exploration operations in the Cook Islands waters on the controversial seabed mining plan.
“During these trips, the intention is for Moana Minerals to introduce ourselves to the communities so that they can see the faces behind the organisation,” Smit said.
“We want to share with them our plans with regards to exploration, share with them the progress we’ve been making thus far, and give them insight into what it is we do and how we go about it.”
Each island visit will involve meetings with the Island Council and traditional leaders, followed by afternoon sessions with local stakeholders.
“In the afternoons, we will follow that up with engagement with stakeholders on the island. And while we’re speaking to the stakeholders, part of our team will be going down to the schools and spending time with the schoolchildren, telling them about what we are doing, and also showing them what opportunities exist for them in the future,” said Smit.
The day will wrap up with an open community event for residents to meet the team and raise any concerns or questions.
“The day will conclude with a community event where all the folks on the island are welcome to attend an open discussion where we will again share with the community what we are doing and what we are about and the progress we’ve made,” Smit explained.
“And we’ll also give everybody an opportunity to ask questions and to question us and get information that they need about what we are doing. So that is the official activities.”
In addition to on-land events, community members will also have the chance to board Moana Minerals’ exploration vessel for a guided tour.
“We will be taking people from the island onto the vessel. We will show them around, show them all the science equipment, show them facilities, let them see what life on board the vessel is like and see what the vessel is doing.”
Smit stressed the importance of transparency and relationship-building through this trip.
“This is an invitation to all the community members on those islands to participate. This is an opportunity to meet us in person,” he said.
“Our team will all be there. It’s an opportunity to ask your questions and get answers. It’s an opportunity for dialogue. And it’s an opportunity to get to know us.”
Smit added that the invitation to engage would remain open beyond the visit itself.
“And that invitation to engage and meet with us is not only while we’re down on the island, but it’s an invitation that we’re extending way beyond that. So get to know who we are, get to know how to get hold of us. And at any time, if you want to speak with us, you want to visit the vessel, you want to have questions answered, or you are interested in participating as an observer on one of the expeditions that we go out on, you know how to get hold of us and to reach us.”
Moana Minerals will be publishing its full itinerary for the trip on its social media channels.
Written by Talaia Mika | Published in Environment, Local, National, Outer Islands