As the Cook Islands approaches the end of its five-year seabed minerals exploration phase and the latest partnership with the superpowers United States and China, the question facing its people is no longer just about mining—but about identity, sovereignty, stewardship, and the ocean that binds them all.
Cook Islands holds one of the largest Exclusive Economic Zone, with an estimated 6.7 billion tonnes (Cook Islands EEZ Resource Estimate - Deep Sea Mining ) of polymetallic nodules rich in cobalt, manganese, and other rare earth minerals. However, while no mining is yet underway, the debate around what should come next is gaining urgency, especially as calls for a global moratorium on deep-sea mining continues to grow.
