Cook Islands Seabed Minerals Authority
Runanga Takere Moana
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News & Press Releases

 
 

You can read all the latest news and updates on the Cook Islands seabed minerals sector here.

 
Posts tagged Ocean Governance
Clear Facts, Careful Process: Where the Cook Islands Stands on Seabed Minerals
Clear Facts, Careful Process: Where the Cook Islands Stands on Seabed Minerals

Public discussion on seabed minerals has raised questions about transparency, representation, science, and decision-making. Here is where the Cook Islands currently stands, what the law requires, and why the country remains in an exploration-only phase. Those questions are fair. People should expect answers that are clear, straight, and respectful. 

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Media ReleaseDede MingiSeabed Minerals, Cook Islands, SBMA, Ocean Governance, Exploration Phase, Science Based Decisions, Environmental stewardship, Marae Moana, Public Consultations, Transparency, Policy and Regulation, Licensing Process, National Environment Service (NES), Advisory Committee, Community Engagement, Ocean Nation, Cook Islands Government, Deep Sea, Marine Policy, Evidence Based Approach
Cook Islands declared ‘world leader’ in seabed sector
Cook Islands declared ‘world leader’ in seabed sector

Seabed 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.

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CI NEWSDede MingiCook Islands, Seabed Minerals, Seabed Mining, Pacific Agenda Summit, Hawaii, Pacific Islands, Prime Minister Mark Brown, Henry Puna, Beverly Ataera, Marae Moana, Ocean Governance, Science Led Approach, Environmental Research, Regulatory Frameworks, Exploration Licences, Critical Minerals, Regional Cooperation, Investment, Pacific Geopolitics
Cook Islands and United States Establish Strategic Framework for Critical Minerals Research and Supply Chain Security
Cook Islands and United States Establish Strategic Framework for Critical Minerals Research and Supply Chain Security

The Government of the Cook Islands and the Government of the United States have agreed a non-binding Framework for Engagement and Cooperation to strengthen supply chains for critical minerals and rare earths, including cooperation relating to deep-sea minerals.

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Media ReleaseDede MingiCook Islands Government, Seabed Minerals Authortiy (SBMA), Critical Minerals, Rare Earth, International Cooperation, Ocean Governance, Supply Chain Security, Sovereignty, Environmental Protection, Science-Led Decision Making, Scientific Research, Geological Mapping, Knowledge Exchange, Capacity Building, United States, Pacific Region, Indo=Pacific
Economic potential of Cook Islands polymetallic nodules ‘overstated’, suggests study
Economic potential of Cook Islands polymetallic nodules ‘overstated’, suggests study

A 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.

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CI NEWSDede MingiSeabed Minerals, Cook Islands, Seabed Mining, Deep Sea Mining, Polymetallic Nodules, Economic Viability, Independent Study, Environment Safeguards, Marine Science, Ocean Governance, Resource Management, National Interest, Regulatory Oversight, Responsible Stewardship, Marae Moana, Critical Minerals, Exploration Licences, Evidence Based Decision Making, Cook Island Economy, Ocean Policy
Global Lessons, Local Impact: SBMA’s Te-Ara Henderson Returns from South Australia Secondment
Global Lessons, Local Impact: SBMA’s Te-Ara Henderson Returns from South Australia Secondment

The Cook Islands Seabed Minerals Authority (SBMA) proudly welcomes home its Senior Policy and Legal Officer, Te-Ara Henderson, following the successful completion of an 11-week regulatory secondment with the South Australian Department for Energy and Mining (DEM), an exchange facilitated through the Australasian Environmental Law Enforcement and Regulators Network (AELERT). 

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Press ReleaseDede MingiSBMA, Cook Islands, Rarotonga, Te-Ara Henderson, South Australia, AELERT, Global Learning, Local Impact, AELERT Network, Cook Islands Leadership, Seabed Minerals, Regulatory Excellence, Pacific Innovation, Knowledge Exchange, Ocean Governance
Thomas Wynne: Through the reef of 1965, to the ocean of 1974 and deep waters of 2025, ‘Let US begin’
Thomas Wynne: Through the reef of 1965, to the ocean of 1974 and deep waters of 2025, ‘Let US begin’

“And to you, the people of the Cook Islands, I say – let us begin.” – Albert Henry, Inaugural Address, 1965. These were the words of the Papa of our democracy, spoken in 1965 at his inaugural address. Words that still echo today, writes Thomas Tarurongo Wynne.

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CI NEWSDede MingiCook Islands 60th Anniversary, 60 Years of Self-Governance, Constitution Celebrations, National Identity, Self-determination, Sir Albert Henry, Thomas Taruronga Wynne, Papa of our democracy, Cook Islands Leadership, Nationhood, Democracy, Independence in spirit, Covenant with the people, Mana and integrity, Guardianship (Mana Tiaki), Sovereignty, Agency, Unity and reciprocity, Inaugural Address 1965, Third UN Conference on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS 1974, Seabed Minerals, Ocean Governance, Marae Moana, Vaka Traditions, Maori to Maori Connections, Diaspora and return home, Let us begin, Building the future together, Strength in Unity, Prosperity for our children, Cook Islands, Rarotonga, Pacific Islands, New Zealand, Small Island States, Global Advocacy