Te Puna Vai Marama, the Cook Islands Centre for Research, and Te Ipukarea Society are co-hosting a research symposium focussed on the deep sea at the end of this month.

The symposium, scheduled for October 31, will focus on the legal, environmental, financial, and social implications of mining for minerals like those at the bottom of the Cook Islands’ ocean. 

Last month, 250 participants attended the Underwater Minerals Conference, an annual meeting convened by the International Marine Minerals Society and attended by scientists, scholars, investors, and industry representatives united by their interest in the minerals of the deep. That conference focused on such topics as new technologies being developed to access the minerals, how deep-sea mining companies might be taxed, and science that suggests the environmental impacts of mining are perhaps less serious than originally assumed. 

The symposium on October 31 features Andrew Sweetman of the Scottish Association for Marine Science, whose research about the oxygen produced in the deep sea created a worldwide stir. Chris Fleming of Griffith University will be speaking about the economics of mining the seafloor. Duncan Currie, who advises the Deep Sea Conservation Coalition, will speak about the legal context of deep-sea mining. Merita Tuarii will share the in-depth results of a poll run by Te Puna Vai Marama last month, in which 66 per cent of 752 respondents voted against deep-sea mining. Representatives of civil society will also share their perspectives. A panel discussion and free screening of Deep Rising, a documentary exploring deep-sea mining narrated by actor Jason Momoa, will follow the conference at 4.30pm in the Empire Theatre.

The full programme will be out on Te Puna Vai Marama’s website on Monday.

“Te Puna Vai Marama decided to hold this symposium together with Te Ipukarea Society to provide a broad perspective on deep sea mining focusing on the Pacific, and particularly the Cook Islands,” says Professor Heather Worth, Director of Te Puna Vai Marama. 

“At the time we were concerned that the Underwater Minerals Conference was way too expensive for Cook Islanders to attend, although we were pleased when it finally opened up to free attendance for local people. The speakers at our conference come from diverse academic disciplines including economics, law, marine geology, environmental science as well as NGO perspectives. Attendance is free, although we’d like people to register so we know how many to cater for.”

Entry to the symposium costs $300 for international participants, $100 for students, and nothing for Cook Islanders. 

Early registration through Eventbrite, an online ticketing platform, will help Te Puna Vai Marama know how many to cater for. Registration includes morning tea and lunch.

• TPVM