14,000-Signature Petition Against Bream Bay Sand Mine Formally Presented to Parliament
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More than 14,000 people have signed a petition opposing McCallum Bros Ltd's proposed seabed sand mine in Te Akau Bream Bay.
On Wednesday, the petition was formally presented to Parliament by Emma Giesen, Co-Chair of Tāngaro Tuia te Ora, Endangered Species Foundation, and accepted by Green Party MP Hūhana Lyndon. Emma was accompanied by a tara iti, New Zealand fairy tern, representing the wildlife at stake in Bream Bay.
SAY NO to sandmining at bream bay SAY NO to sandmining at bream bay SAY NO to sandmining at bream bay
Today's presentation marks the petition's formal entry into Parliament's petitions process. It will now be considered by the Petitions Committee, which can seek further information from the petitioners and other parties before reporting back to Parliament.
What's at Stake?
McCallum Bros Ltd is seeking consent to extract 8.45 million cubic metres of seabed sand over 35 years.The proposed mining area overlaps an 82.3 square kilometre regenerating scallop bed and sits within a marine environment supporting snapper fisheries, migratory whales, rays, turtles, marine birds, and other wildlife.
Bream Bay is also important habitat for tara iti, one of the world's rarest seabirds, with fewer than 50 remaining.
Tāngaro Tuia te Ora has raised concerns about the potential impacts of seabed disturbance on marine habitats, fisheries, and coastal environments, alongside concerns about the limited public participation available through the fast-track consenting process.
Community, legal, and environmental challenges to the application are being coordinated locally by iwi and other local and national groups, including the Bream Bay Guardians. A further survey of residents, undertaken late in 2025, found that 97% of respondents were opposed to sand mining in Te Ākau Bream Bay.
“This is an important step for the more than 14,000 people who signed this petition,” says Emma Giesen. “We are asking Parliament to properly consider what is at stake for Bream Bay and the species, fisheries and communities that depend on it.”
The petition now moves into Parliament's formal process.
