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Cook Islands Seabed Minerals Authority - Licensing Panel
Cook Islands Seabed Minerals Authority
Runanga Takere Moana

Licensing Panel

 seabed minerals licensing panel

What is the Licensing Panel?
The Seabed Minerals Authority’s Licensing Panel is a technical body made up of experts in their respective fields including, engineering, finance, legal, environment, extractive industries (mining), and maritime. The Licensing Panel also includes a government representative.

What does the Licensing Panel do?
The role of the Licensing Panel is to evaluate the exploration applications and whether they are fit for a licence to carry out seabed minerals exploration activities in the Cook Islands. The Licensing Panel will have members with more than 10 years experience in a range of relevant fields who will have the technical expertise to evaluate the applications. Following their evaluation, they will make a recommendation to the Minister for Seabed Minerals (Minister) on whether to grant or decline an application, an exploration licence.

How was the Licensing Panel selected? The Seabed Minerals Authority established a Selection Panel whose role was to evaluate suitable candidates recommended by the Authority for appointment to the Licensing Panel. The Selection Panel, convened, deliberated and made recommendations to the Minister on who should be appointed to the Licensing Panel. These recommendations were presented to Cabinet by the Minister, who agreed to appoint the recommended candidates to the Licensing Panel.

Meet the Licensing Panel members:

 
 
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garth henderson

Chair of the Licensing Panel, Government

 
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chris brown

Financial and Legal Expert

 
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malcolm clark

Environmental Expert

 
 
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Pamela Maru

Maritime Expert

 
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hannah lily

Legal Expert

 
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alison swaddling

Environmental Expert

 
 
 
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richard johnson

Environmental Expert

 
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akuila tawake

Extractives Expert

 
 
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darryl thorburn

Extractives Expert

 
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Andrew Lipman

Engineering Expert

 

Garth Henderson

Head of the Ministry of Finance and Economic Management, Garth has comprehensive regional and international experience including: 3 years with the Asian Development Bank as a Director’s Advisor to the Board. Expertise in finance, law, environment and maritime. Previously a member of the Seabed Minerals Committee from 2008-2009 working with the Commonwealth Secretariat to develop the first policy and legislation for the Cook Islands structured approach to the development of its Seabed Minerals Sector. In addition , Mr Henderson has also been appointed as Chair of the Licensing Panel by the Minister of seabed minerals.

Pamela Maru

Secretary, Ministry of Marine Resources. Background in marine science working in environmental monitoring and coastal fisheries management before dedication to work in the fisheries sector. In this area she worked on fisheries science and research, data management, fisheries management strategies and policy, fisheries surveillance, compliance and investigations, and project management. From 2009 to 2011 she was the Vice-Chair of the Scientific Committee for the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission.

Chris Brown

Chartered Tax Adviser and international law specialist with over 25 years of commercial, corporate tax, legal and financial exposure and practice. He was engaged full-time as seabed minerals adviser to the Cook Islands National Environment Service and the Seabed Mineral’s Authority, advising the agencies on th e development and implementation of a legal, environmental and financial framework for the exploration and exploitation of marine minerals in the Cook Islands Exclusive Economic Zone, including the drafting of regulations and preparation of guidance documents.

Hannah Lily

Lawyer, Independent Consultant. Hannah has worked as an expert specialist legal advisor on seabed minerals consistently for the past decade, including employment on Sea Bed Minerals-specific projects at the Secretariat of the Pacific Community, the Commonwealth Secretariat, the Pew Charitable Trusts Seabed Mining Project, and consultancies for academic institutions, NGOs and individual governments.

Malcolm Clark

Principal Scientist, the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA). Malcolm has worked extensibly on stock assessment of deepwater fisheries over the 80s and 90s before broadening research to more general ecology of deep-sea ecosystems, especially on seamounts. Led the Census of Marine Life on Seamount programme 2005-20012 which influenced deep-sea research, industry, policy makers, and managers. Recently researched and investigated the effects of sedimentation plumes from possible deep-sea mining operations in New Zealand. He has also been heavily involved in providing technical advice to the Seabed Minerals Authority in regards to its regulatory regime for seabed exploration and mining.

Alison Swaddling

Ocean Governance Advisor, Commonwealth Secretariat. She advises member governments on their ocean policy, legislation and regulation development and environmental management of their marine resources. Extensive experience working in the Pacific region. As well as working for the Commonwealth Blue Charter, she provides advice to develop robust seabed mining regulations and associated regional environmental management plans.

Richard Johnson

Former Manager the New Zealand Environmental Protection Authority. Exclusive Economic Zone Applications team in 2013. He led the teams assisting Decisionmaking Committees on seabed mining marine consent applications, and a range of oil and gas exploration and production marine consents before his semi-retirement in 2020. He has presented widely, including to international forums, on New Zealand's statutory regime for marine consents, and the lessons learnt from implementing that regime. He is assisting the Cook Islands Seabed Minerals Authority to set up its regulatory regime for seabed minerals.

Darryl Thorburn

Extensive background in upstream minerals and petroleum sector both in exploration and mining geology in New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, UK the Middle East and the Pacific Regions. Experience in various mineral management and regulatory roles for NZ government. Management included allocating exploration and mining acreage for minerals, coal and petroleum resources in accordance with statutes. Played a major role in the development in the Cook Islands Seabed Minerals sector through development of robust frameworks and capacity building of nationals to manage their own minerals for sustainable future development.

Akuila Tawake

Deputy Director Georesources and Energy Programme at the Pacific Community. He is a geologist by training with a total of more than 24 years of professional experience largely in the mining industry. Worked in many pacific countries including the Cook Islands. He is currently providing technical advice on Deep Sea Minerals development to a number of pacific island countries and supporting the implementation of PEW Charitable Trusts-funded DSM Project and the ISA-UNDESA Abyssal Initiative for Blue Growth.

Andrew Lipman

American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) Director of Subsea & Mining Operations. He has extensive knowledge of current technologies in the field of offshore minerals, and oil and gas extraction. Coordinated and co-authored the ABS Guide to Subsea Mining. Has extensive experience in marine safety and regulatory compliance and many years of experience with ABS in issuing certification to ships and offshore installations according to international standards.