11. Question No. 11—Regional DevelopmentSTEVE ABEL (Green) to the Minister for Regional DevelopmentQuestion No. 11—Regional Development11. STEVE ABEL (Green) to the Minister for Regional Development: Does he stand by his statement in this House that Seabed mining has a legitimate place in New Zealand's regional economy"; if not why not?Hon SHANE JONES (Minister for Regional Development): Yes. And given that GNS Science have provided information that the value of so said seabed is one-half a trillion—$500 billion—including phosphate in the Chathams and manganese nodules in the Kermadecs. Steve Abel: Did he stand aside from decision making on the proposed seabed mining projects by Trans-Tasman Resources because of the fishing industry's "serious concern that the marine environment will be materially harmed with flow-on effects for the fishing industry"?Hon SHANE JONES: He is directing that question to the Minister for Regional Development who did no such thing.Steve Abel: How does it contribute to the Taranaki region to allow an Australian mining company to suck 50 million tonnes of seabed each year for 35 years in a way that harms local fisheries and in the mining company's own words "totally destroys the seabed"?Hon SHANE JONES: Obviously the matters pertaining to the application in the activity the member refers to are currently before a panel chaired by a retired High Court judge. The value of the principle of comity between Parliament and judicial processes should not be underestimated.Steve Abel: Did he raise the concerns of environmental groups and experts local iwi and the fishing industry who have fought against this seabed mining for 10 years in his four-hour meeting with mining lobbyists Straterra on 23 January?Hon SHANE JONES: Well obviously that meeting involved me listening to that minerals sector. The minerals extractive sector has a rich legitimate and profoundly important place to play as we derive responses to climate change rather than hysteria and alarmism.Steve Abel: Point of order Mr Speaker. The very specific question was: did you raise the concerns of environmental groups and experts and local iwi and the fishing industry in that meeting with Straterra?Hon Shane Jones: I'll gladly answer that.SPEAKER: Well we'll have another crack at the answer.Hon SHANE JONES: I can confirm I did describe the behaviour of some of the pixie-like hapū in Taranaki as not reflective of true tikanga Māori.Rt Hon Winston Peters: Can I ask the Minister as to whether he proposed to get a report into how he has been often described—always described in some cases—as being on the side of the fishing industry and now being opposed to it?Hon SHANE JONES: At one level I am the champion of the fishing industry. I respect the constitutional role I hold because there are many stakeholders in that industry. At the other level I am the promoter of responses through responsible utilisation of our minerals sector to derive sensible advances in relation to climate change actions that New Zealand will need to take not the least of which are minerals for electric bikes.Steve Abel: Further to your point about the importance of not interfering in judicial processes does he think that it is appropriate to override the Supreme Court the Environmental Protection Authority and all of New Zealand's environmental protection laws to fast track destructive seabed mining?Hon SHANE JONES: Well obviously in the event that the member's referring to the fast-track legislation it's in the House it's before the select committee and I encourage all New Zealanders either private or public to bring their concerns bring their ideas and improvements. Chlöe Swarbrick: You're keeping it secret.Hon SHANE JONES: I don't want to hear from the galah over there—and that's an open process.Debbie Ngarewa-Packer: Which activity will the Government support off the Taranaki shore: offshore wind energy or seabed mining? You cannot have both.SPEAKER: Yeah look the last part—don't do that with the last part of the question. It doesn't quite fit.Hon SHANE JONES: I thank the member from Taranaki for that question. She would know there's endless amounts of wind from that part of the country."