French Polynesia calls for moratorium on deep sea mining

French Polynesia’s President Moetai Brotherson in Honiara for the 54th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting from 8-12 September 2025.
Photo: RNZ Pacific / Caleb Fotheringham

French Polynesia’s president wants Pacific countries to agree to a moratorium on deep sea mining despite the wide range of views on the issue in the region.

Moetai Brotherson represents one of the Pacific countries calling for a moratorium, alongside the likes of Palau and Vanuatu.

Meanwhile, the French territory’s closest neighbour, the Cook Islands, is exploring the possibility of mining. Others, such as Tonga and Nauru, are doing the same.

“We would like to convince our neighbours, our cousins, our brothers, that sometimes getting away from an extractive economy is the way to go, especially in such areas as ours that rely heavily on tourism,” Brotherson said.

“Tourism doesn’t go very well with destroying the ocean.”

He also said partner countries have a “very big role to play” in supporting other economic opportunities in the region that are not deep sea mining.

“I always say that those big countries sometimes have a tendency to come and lecture us on environment and things like that. They are the same countries that have been mining the whole planet for centuries.

“I want to tell them, instead of lecturing us, come and help us. Build our economies without that, because you cannot just tell us don’t do it. Help us do otherwise.”

Last month, Tonga signed a new contract with mining frontrunner The Metals Company. It concerns a deep sea mining area in international waters to which Tonga has special rights.

However, civil society groups want more transparency from the government, which Prime Minister ‘Aisake Eke also sees as important.

“I agree, they have the right to know what we are doing on their behalf because the government, we are representing the collective interest of the country,” Eke said.

“We have to be transparent with them on this particular issue… the company is actually coming to Tonga.”

Eke said civil society would have a chance to speak to The Metals Company directly.

Pacific Network on Globalisation coordinator Joey Tau said the differing views across the Pacific makes agreeing to a moratorium difficult but believed consensus could be reached on other aspects, like the need for independent science, in both mining and exploration.

This means science driven by the state but informed by all stakeholders, he said.

“When we call for independent science, one that also acknowledges other sciences, like the indigenous people’s understanding and practices with the ocean.”

Tau said there has been growing opposition to the issues civil society is pushing.

An example was civil society groups being excluded from the deep sea minerals talanoa where Pacific leaders discussed seabed mining at the beginning of this year.

“We continue to remind leaders that we bring technicality expertise, we bring issues and concerns of Pacific communities as many of us work at the forefront.”

Tau said civil society is an equal stakeholder in the deep sea mining discussion.

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