From what I remember about TTR's failed project, its activities are confined to shallow coastal waters. Even so, the case illustrates is that mining is increasingly moving offshore.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/west-coast/68970872/permit-sought-for-west-coast-seabed-mining
Trans-Tasman Resources (TTR) has applied for a 4436-square kilometre prospecting permit offshore of the West Coast stretching from Ross, south of Hokitika, to Karamea, north of Westport. It planned to explore the feasibility of mining the iron-rich sands for precious minerals, such as ilmenite. Last year TTR was granted a permit to extract ironsand from the South Taranaki Bight by New Zealand Petroleum and Minerals (NZPAM). But the company failed at the next step. The Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) turned down a marine consent,..
