June Hosking and Itirangi Pennycook are representing Te Ipukarea Society in Jamaica at the 2025 International Seabed Authority (ISA) negotiations. This article was prompted by a speech by the Hereditary Chief of the Wolf Clan of the Gitxsan Nation, Canada.

Ka inangaro te rakau i te a’o tangata(Plants need the breath of people) – Papa Timeni of Ma’uke.

This ancestral wisdom reflects the science of cycles – showing that nothing is independent, and all of creation is interconnected.

June and Andrew Hosking experienced this firsthand when they moved to Ma’uke. At first, the mature coconut trees bore no fruit. But once they settled on the land full-time, the trees began to produce, and now they have the sweetest nu.

At school, children learn about cycles – water, carbon, nitrogen, oxygen – but often in ways that suggest they operate separately. In reality, all cycles depend on each other. When one is disrupted, cascading effects ripple through the rest.

An example: Oxygen cycle and its fragility

Oxygen continuously moves between organisms and the environment through:

• Photosynthesis (plants and algae produce oxygen).
• Respiration (animals and humans consume oxygen, releasing carbon dioxide).
• Decomposition (bacteria and fungi recycle oxygen-containing compounds).

When this cycle is disrupted, oxygen depletion in water creates dead zones, while air quality declines. Think – if the air we breathe worsens, how might that impact our health?

Diel Vertical Migration (DVM): A key link

The ocean is a critical part of multiple cycles, supporting life and climate stability. Deep sea mining threatens to break cycles.

DVM, the daily movement of certain marine life between deep and surface waters, is crucial to the oxygen cycle. If mining disrupts these creatures through noise or sediment plumes, oxygen depletion will accelerate, food chains collapse, and climate change worsens. Think – With this in mind, can it accurately be said that deep-sea mining will benefit climate change?

Beyond our borders

As Cook Islanders, we take pride in our Moana-Nui-o-Kiva, but we are not separate from the world. We may see our Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) as ours to use as we wish, but nature does not recognise human-made boundaries. The ocean moves beyond the EEZ, carrying pollution and cycle disruptions with it, affecting others over time.

At the ISA meeting in Jamaica, Hereditary Chief Gwininitxw of the Wolf clan of the Gitxsan Nation, Canada, said: “The deep ocean is connected to the coast. For example, nutrients from the deep ocean feed salmon. Salmon come up river and feed the bear, eagles, wolves and humans. Plus, these animals bring salmon on the land and that fertilises the earth. It is important not to break that cycle.”

“Indigenous rights are not only our ability to hunt and fish, but to have clean air and water. And this is everyone’s human right. All other forms of life also have these rights. And this is why it is important to guarantee a healthy environment for all of us. Future generations also have human rights. Nothing belongs to us, it belongs to the future. We are setting examples for the future and we need to do a great job.”

Though her tribal territory is hundreds of kilometres inland, she understands that disrupting cycles in the deep ocean will even affect them.

Earlier at the ISA meeting, Hinano Murphy from the Tetiaroa Society in Tahiti stated: “Times have changed and it seems remarkable that ISA countries continue to ignore the cultural traditions of the people with the longest history and most fundamental knowledge of the very place being considered for destruction and desecration for the benefit of a few.”

That ‘few’ are countries with high technological consumption and often military interests. Think – can anyone truly guarantee that our metals won’t be used for military purposes, turning our heritage into a weapon against another’s?

Protecting the future

We will feel the impacts first, while distant consumers have probably never even heard of the Cook Islands. Let’s stand with other Indigenous peoples, who stand with us, and say no to deep-sea mining. The risks to life’s cycles are too great. The risks to our indigenous culture are too great.

Please – Think Deeply. Ask Questions. Research.Know the issues. Protect our ocean. Protect your Indigenous heritage.