Te Pāti Māori Members' Bill seeks to ban seabed mining; Trans-Tasman Resources opposes 14 Mar, 2021 04:00 PM 2 minutes to read Māori Party co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer promised to continue fighting seabed mining when she got to Parliament. Photo / Facebook Māori Party co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer promised to continue fighting seabed mining when she got to Parliament. Photo / Facebook Laurel Stowell is a reporter for the Whanganui Chroniclelaurel.stowell@whanganuichronicle.co.nzWhangaChron Maōri Party co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer's first Members' Bill seeks to ban seabed mining in New Zealand waters and withdraw existing consents. It is fiercely opposed by mining company Trans-Tasman Resources, which is seeking consents to mine 50 million tonnes a year of iron-sand offshore from Pātea in the South Taranaki Bight.