Dear Editor, In response to the anonymous letter from “Get Real” (Cook Islands News, October 10), and the suggestion that the NGOs are the Goliath in this seabed mining scenario, this is frankly ridiculous.

The collective “Goliath” here is obviously the three multi million dollar foreign companies, also supported in their objective by a significant amount of tax payers money going to the Seabed Minerals Authority. There is a lot of money being thrown at the seabed mining industry in an effort to fast track it to reality.  

The local NGOs do not have access to our taxpayer’s money the way the Seabed Minerals Authority has. So yes, we have received a small amount of financial support from outside the country to help us. However, most of our support comes from within the Cook Islands, including from the Pa Enua. Any financial support received for our campaign is spent supporting the local economy.

Our goal is to share with the iti tangata of the Cook Islands what the Government has either glossed over as insignificant, or refused to tell them, during the so-called consultations.

As the Ocean Ancestors collective, we focus our awareness raising more on the huge risk we will be taking with our precious Moana Nui o Kiva if we allow the seabed mining to begin. Nobody knows what damage this mining may cause.

In a reply to a letter to the editor on social licence (Cook Islands News, 11th October) SBMA say they “continue to engage with our Cook Islands people to not only develop a robust regulatory framework ...”. 

Really? Te Ipukarea Society and Korero o te Orau have made multiple submissions asking for changes to draft legislation, all of which have been ignored. It would be a very interesting exercise to go over all the submissions related to our seabed mining legislation in the past few years, and see how much feedback from the mining companies has been incorporated into legislation, compared with that from the general public and NGOs.

It is grossly irresponsible of our Government to have passed the commercial mining regulations already, ignoring our suggestions on the two previous drafts. This is sending a clear message to the mining companies that they will get their mining licences. These foreign mining companies are the real threats to our sovereign decision making.

Most people capable of sound reasoning would agree, it is the small locally based NGOs and individuals, collectively now referred to as Ocean Ancestors, who are the real David in this Biblical analogy. And for those that like the Biblical analogies here is another one. The Moana nui o Kiva is our Garden of Eden, and deep sea nodules are the forbidden fruit. Leave them untouched or risk losing the Garden.

Ocean Ancestors

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Get Real – Goliath in the Bible was a Philistine giant used to intimidate the Israelites for the end goal of conquering them.

The Goliaths behind the deep sea mining push worldwide are mining companies, oil companies and munitions companies; all throwing in millions, even billions of dollars to pull the wool over your eyes.

The David in this story is a group of iti tangata (our own little people) standing against the mining giants for our future generations.

We don’t have piles of money, just solid facts to put in our sling. Most importantly, we have faith that as more is revealed about life in the deep sea, the majority of our people's eyes will be opened, including yours.

I’m for real,

Andrew Hosking,

Mauke.