A group has gone to the Environment Court to ask that all the information in Trans-Tasman Resources' iron-sand mining application be made public.
The court action is led by Kiwis Against Seabed Mining (KASM), supported by Ngāti Ruanui and fishing company Talley's Group.
The Trans-Tasman Resources application to the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) for consent to mine iron-sand from the seabed off Patea contains sections that are redacted (blacked out). They relate mainly to the content of seabed sediment, the modelling of a sediment plume resulting from return of sediment to the seabed, and to economic information.
The company has asked that anyone seeing the redacted material sign a confidentiality agreement, and not share the information with anyone.
The committee the EPA appointed to hear the application decided to allow the redactions.