The Department of Conservation has unreservedly apologised to the Taranaki Whanganui Conservation Board for failing to talk to it about a seabed mining application.
The application is by Trans-Tasman Resources (TTR) to mine ironsand offshore from Patea. The department (DoC) failed to tell the board it had been working with the company on it, or that it was not going to make a submission because all its concerns had been adequately addressed.
At Thursday's conservation board meeting, members were variously appalled and offended by the lack of communication from DoC - except for one board member who said people were only upset because they wouldn't be getting a share of the mining wealth.
Others said DoC should have passed on information about the application, and should have let the board know that it would make no submission.
After hearing their concerns via speaker phone, DoC operations director for Waikato, Hauraki and Taranaki David Speirs answered them. He apologised for the relationship breach and said it would be remedied.