Mining protest on film

More than 100 people gathered at Raglan’s Ngarunui Beach on Sunday to take part in the filming of an anti-seabed mining protest video.

More than 100 people gathered at Raglan’s Ngarunui Beach on Sunday to take part in the filming of an anti-seabed mining protest video.
Supporters, many of them local residents, marched down the beach with picket signs while shouting slogans devised by the event’s organisers, Kiwis Against Seabed Mining (KASM).

More than 100 people showed up at Ngarunui Beach on Sunday to protest against seabed mining.
More than 100 people showed up at Ngarunui Beach on Sunday to protest against seabed mining. Photo: Mackenzie McCarty

Phil McCabe, KASM member and part coordinator of the filming, said the purpose of the video was to inform the public about an issue which was largely being ignored.
“Everyone that hears about [seabed mining] – it stirs them,” he says, “This is to inform the New Zealand government and the mining companies that it is not going to happen.”

Voice of youth: Anti seabed-mining protester River Keiser, 7, enjoyed the filming. “I had fun digging in the sand.”
Voice of youth: Anti seabed-mining protester River Keiser, 7, enjoyed the filming. “I had fun digging in the sand.” Photo: Mackenzie McCarty

The idea for the film came about when a UK documentary filmmaker stayed at McCabe’s hostel in Raglan and heard about the plans to mine for iron ore and other minerals off the coastline.
The filmmaker, who didn’t want to be named, emphasised the importance of making an impact.
“If you don’t grab people’s attention in 10 seconds, you lose them.”
Seabed mining  involves gathering iron and other minerals from the seabed relatively close to shore. Sand is pumped through suction pipes and passed through filters which remove the desired minerals.
Opponents of this type of mining argue that it is damaging to the seafloor environment, and even has the potential to ruin surf breaks by changing the shape of the seabed.
Information about the film’s release date will be available on the Kiwis Against Seabed Mining Facebook page. There is also a public follow-up meeting scheduled for Tuesday, 3rd April, at the Raglan Community House.