Info: Fast-track team offline 25 December 2025 to 4 January 2026
The contact centre closes at midday on 24 December. The application portal and this website remain available throughout the break.

Reports

18 December 2025

On 12 December 2025 the panel issued Minute 32 requesting further information from Iwi and Hapū participants. The information was provided on 18 December 2025.

Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Ruanui Trust response (PDF, 121KB)

Te Kahu Maru Trust response (PDF, 260KB)

Te Ohu Kaimoana response (PDF, 182KB)

Late Memorandum of Counsel for Te Kaahui o Rauru Trust  (PDF, 260KB)

10 December 2025

On 8 December 2025 the panel requested further information from the applicant in Minute 30. The information was provided on 10 December 2025.

Memorandum of counsel for the applicant in response to Minute 30 of the panel (PDF, 183KB)

24 November 2025

Primary productivity

The final Joint Witness Statement prepared during expert conferencing on the topic of primary productivity.

Joint statement of expert witnesses - Primary Productivity (PDF, 315KB)

20 November 2025

Treaty settlement/cultural effects

The final Joint Witness Statement prepared during expert conferencing on the topic of treaty settlement/cultural effects. 

Joint statement of expert witnesses - Treaty settlement/cultural effects (PDF, 2.5MB) 

Effects on marine mammals

The final Joint Witness Statement prepared during expert conferencing on the topic of effects on marine mammals.

Joint statement of expert witnesses - Effects on marine mammals (PDF, 198KB)

Effects on birds

The final Joint Witness Statement prepared during expert conferencing on the topic of effects on birds.

Joint statement of expert witnesses - Effects on birds (PDF, 140KB)

19 November 2025

Economic effects 

The final Joint Witness Statement prepared during expert conferencing on the topic of economic effects.

Joint statement of expert witnesses - economic effects (PDF, 212KB)

18 November 2025

Fate of tailings backfill

The final Joint Witness Statement prepared during expert conferencing on the topic of fate of tailings and backfill.

Joint statement of expert witnesses - fate of tailings and backfill (PDF, 133KB)

17 November 2025

Effects on benthic habitats and species

The final Joint Witness Statement prepared during expert conferencing on the topic of benthic habitats and species.

Joint statement of expert witnesses - Benthic habitats and species (PDF, 311KB)

14 November 2025

Response to Minute 12

The Fast-track team received the following documents in response to minute 12.

13 November 2025

Sediment distribution modelling

The final Joint Witness Statement prepared during expert conferencing on the topic of sediment distribution modelling.

Joint statement of expert witnesses - Sediment distribution modelling (PDF, 441KB)

Response to Minute 20 

The Fast-track team received the following documents in response to Minute 20. 

Forest and Bird (PDF, 199KB)

The applicant (PDF, 157KB)

11 November 2025

Response to Minute 17

Brooks Seafood Ltd & Awaroa Fisheries Ltd in response to the Request for Information outlined in Minute 17. Received within the time extension allowed by Minute 23. 

Brooks Seafood and Awaroa Fisheries Limited (PDF, 99KB)

Image 1 (PDF, 3.4MB)

Image 2 (PDF, 857KB)

Image 3 (PDF, 928KB)

Image 4 (PDF, 924KB

Image 5 (PDF, 140KB)

Image 6 (PDF, 128KB)

10 November 2025

Response to Minute 14

The Fast-track team received the following documents in response to Minute 14.

Wanganui-Manawatu Sea Fishing Club (PDF, 5.3 MB)

Te Korowai o Ngāruahine Trust (PDF, 426KB)

Ngāti Hāua Hapū (PDF, 21KB)

South Taranaki Underwater Club  (PDF, 12.6MB)

Response to Minute 15

The Fast-track team received the following documents in response to Minute 15.

Wanganui-Manawatu Sea Fishing Club (PDF, 5.34 MB)

South Taranaki Underwater Club  (PDF, 12.6MB)

Response to Minute 16

The Fast-track team received the following documents in response to Minute 16.

Ngāmotu Marine Reserve Society (PDF, 1.9MB)

Response to Minute 17

The Fast-track team received the following documents in response to Minute 17. 

Wanganui-Manawatu Sea Fishing Club (PDF, 5.34 MB)

Te Kāhui Maru Trust (PDF, 898KB)

South Taranaki Underwater Club  (PDF, 12.6MB)

9 November 2025

The Fast-track team received the following documents from the Applicant in response to Minute 13 of the Taranaki VTM expert panel. 

Applicant memorandum of counsel (PDF, 199KB)

TTRL Daniel Govier evidence 15 December 2016 (PDF, 4.35MB)

On 17 November 2025 the Fast-track team received the following document in response to Minute 13 of the Taranaki VTM expert panel. 

Responses on behalf of Trans-Tasman Resources Limited (PDF, 103KB)

6 November 2025

The Fast-track team received the following documents in response to Minute 11.

Environmental Defence Society incorporated (PDF, 261KB)

31 October

The Fast-track team received the following documents from the Minister for Oceans and Fisheries in response to part one of Minute 10. 

Response to part one of Minute 10 (PDF, 550 KB)

Appendix Two (PDF, 791 KB)

Appendix Three (PDF, 1 MB)

Appendix Four (PDF, 1 MB)

Appendix Five attachment 1 (PDF, 770 KB)

Appendix Five attachment 2 (PDF, 875 KB)

Monthly event counts 2019-24 (XLSX, 23 KB)

All areas Landings By Gear 2019-24 (XLSX, 24 KB)

All areas Fisher Counts By Gear 2019-24 (XLSX, 26 KB)

22 October 2025

The Fast-track team received the following documents from the Minister for Oceans and Fisheries in response to part two of Minute 10. 

Response to part two of Minute 10 (PDF, 338 KB)

Appendix Two Map of Customary Fisheries Areas Relevant to the Taranaki VTM Project (PDF, 869 KB) 

S186 Temporary closures map on Ministry for Primary Industries – website link

Rohe Moana boundaries map on Ministry for Primary Industries – website link

20 October 2025

The Fast-track team received the following documents from the Minister for Oceans and Fisheries in response to Minute 10. 

Response to Minute 10 (PDF, 251KB)

The Panel requested this information in Minute 10, issued on 16 October 2025.

Minute 10 of the Panel (PDF, 116KB)

22 September 2025

The Fast-track team received the section 51 report from the Environmental Protection Authority EEZ team.

Section 51 report from EPA EEZ team (PDF, 410KB)

16 June 2025

The Ministry for the Environment provided the Fast-track team with the section 18 report on Treaty settlements and other obligations as required under section 49 of the Fast-track Approvals Act 2024.

Treaty settlements and other obligations (section 18) report (PDF, 815KB)

Further information requests 

11 December 2025

The applicant

On 11 December 2025 the panel requested information from the applicant. The information was provided on 12 December 2025.

Request for information letter to the applicant  (PDF,  75KB)

Response on behalf of the applicant (PDF, 245KB)

Seafood New Zealand comments - Attachment 1 (PDF, 1MB)

Minister for Oceans and Fisheries

On 11 December 2025 the panel requested information from the Minister for Oceans and Fisheries in relation to the Taranaki VTM application. The Information was provided on 17 December 2025.

Request for information letter to Minister for Oceans and Fisheries (PDF, 129KB)

Response from Minister for Oceans and Fisheries (PDF, 437KB)

Appendix 1 (PDF, 875KB)

28 November 2025

On 28 November 2025 the panel requested further information from the applicant in relation to the Taranaki VTM application.  The information is to be provided by the 3 December 2025. 

Request for information to the applicant (PDF, 97KB)

Response from the applicant

On 3 December 2025, the applicant provided their response to further information request.

Memorandum of counsel for the applicant in response to information request (PDF, 102KB)

Statement of evidence - Dr Matt Pinkerton (PDF, 105KB)

Statement of evidence - Dr Van de Velde (PDF, 109KB)

Supplementary evidence - Dr MacDiarmid (PDF, 91KB)

Pooran Khedri - ICES Journal of Marine Science - MBCF and organic carbon (PDF, 3.53MB) 

Sebastiaan Van de Velde - Ocean alkalinity destruction (PDF, 1.94MB)

Habeeb Thanveer Kalapurakkal - Sediment resuspension (PDF, 2.47MB) 

Lucas Porz - Dredging and dumping (PDF, 826KB)

Trisha Atwood - Acidification and CO2 from trawling (PDF, 3.07MB)

26 November 2025

Request for information to Minister of Conservation (PDF, 141KB)

On 26 November 2025, the panel requested further information from the Minister of Conservation. This information was provided on 28 November 2025.

Blue whale survey sightings (PDF, 1,1MB)

NZ marine mammal database map points (XLSX, 252KB)