By Talaia Mika, Cook Islands News
Seabed Minerals Authority commissioner Beverly Stacey-Ataera. Photo: SBMA
The newly appointed Seabed Minerals Authority (SBMA) commissioner Beverly Stacey-Ataera says public trust and open dialogue will be at the centre of the Cook Islands' seabed minerals journey.
Stacey-Ataera told Cook Islands News she welcomes scrutiny from environmental groups and the wider community, adding that public accountability strengthens the Authority's work.
"I welcome their feedback," she said.
"They have an incredibly important role, and we enjoy working with them. They need to hold us accountable and make sure that everything's being done properly, which it is, but it's good to have that additional people out there who are having an oversight so that we have the trust of the people. They do just as important a job as we do, so it's great."
Her comments come as debate continues over the future of the industry, with environmental advocates calling for caution while government says seabed minerals could support the nation's long-term resilience.
Stacey-Ataera stressed that no decision has been made to mine, and the priority is research, understanding and public engagement.
"We reaffirm, we're not mining. We're not mining at all," she said.
"We're in exploration phase, which is just science, and quite possibly the coolest thing ever is doing the science."
Stacey-Ataera said the Authority is focused on completing scientific studies with licence holders to better understand the seabed environment.
In 2022, the Cook Islands government granted licences for exploratory work to three seabed mining companies - CIC, CIIC Seabed Resources and Moana Minerals. The exploration is now in the fourth year of a five-year phase to assess the feasibility of deep-sea mining for mineral rich polymetallic nodules.
Stacey-Ataera reiterated their immediate focus is "completing the scientific research with our licence holders".
She feels "incredibly humbled" to lead the Authority and remains committed to ensuring Cook Islanders are informed and involved.
"We need to do the scientific research. We need to understand the environment, and then we need to share that with our people, and then our people will make a decision about what they want to do.
"We welcome everybody to come and have a chat with us. We're moving towards more consults and going out with more information, so stay tuned. We've got a lot of exciting things to share with you."
-This article was first published by Cook Islands News.
