Eel farming in Northland has been touted as a viable alternative to mining as it's environmentally sustainable and could provide real jobs for locals.
At a dairy farm on the Hikurangi swamp, Ben Smith shows us the eels that have consumers across the world salivating.
The proposal received initial support from some of the region’s top leaders at a meeting in Whakapara.
According to Te Taitokerau MP, Hone Harawira mining is not going to provide much employment for Northland locals in desperate need of jobs and he expressed his full support for the project.
The people of Ngāti Hau and the wider Whakapara community say they have major concerns that mining in the district will pollute their waterways, but they're not opposed to economic development. Instead, they continue to seek opportunities like this that will create real employment for their children.
Dean Nathan reports.