You can read all the latest news and updates on the Cook Islands seabed minerals sector here.
A major review of 50 years of data warning that deep-sea mining could cause long-lasting damage to Pacific marine ecosystems has reinforced the Cook Islands’ cautious approach to seabed minerals exploration, according to Seabed Minerals Authority (SBMA) Commissioner Beverly Stacey Ataera.
Read MoreCook Islands intends to utilise the Asian Development Bank (ADB) as an ‘honest broker’ to refine regulatory and financial frameworks for deep-sea minerals, amid concerns raised by environmental advocates.
Read MoreThe Seabed Minerals Authority (SBMA) is engaging the Rarotonga public to clarify the seabed minerals sector and its operations, aiming to empower and involve the community.
Read MoreThe Cook Islands Government has completed the transition of the Marae Moana Coordination Office (MMCO) from the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) to Te Tu’anga Taporoporo National Environment Service (NES), following the passage of the Marae Moana Amendment Act 2026 earlier this year.
Read MoreSeabed mining is no longer a distant ambition for the Cook Islands, as at last week’s Pacific Agenda: Investment, Security and Shared Prosperity summit in Hawaii, it was pushed into the geopolitical spotlight with Cook Islands leaders declaring global leadership, clearing diplomatic roadblocks and indicating that movement, not moratorium, is the direction ahead.
The two-day summit was held behind closed doors with Pacific media, including Cook Islands News, present at the event.
Read MoreWashington is tearing down bureaucratic barriers that have delayed investment and financing in the Pacific, as the United States looks to deliver swifter results from its renewed engagement with the region.
United States deputy secretary of state Christopher Landau made this comment in response to a question from Cook Islands News at the conclusion of the two-day “Pacific Agenda: Investment, Security and Shared Prosperity Summit” in Honolulu, Hawaii, this week.
Read MoreThe Seabed Minerals Authority (SBMA) has dismissed claims that the lack of timely notices on critical matters, such as seabed mining, was a waste of taxpayers’ money by SBMA during their recent consultations in Aitutaki last month.
Read MoreA new study suggests the economic benefits of seabed mining in the Cook Islands have been exaggerated, countering government claims that the industry will generate millions in revenue.
Read MoreCook Islands has secured additional seabed control after the United Nations approved its claim over the Manihiki Plateau, granting the country exclusive rights over an additional 350,000 square kilometres of seabed resources.
This follows the formal receipt of recommendations from the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) regarding the Cook Islands’ revised submission on the continental shelf limits beyond 200 nautical miles for the Manihiki Plateau.
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