Kaya
Selby, RNZ Pacific journalist
United
States President Donald Trump’s top diplomat in Aotearoa is
one step closer to assuming office – more than a year after
he was announced.
Billionaire businessman Jared
Novelly is the Trump’s nominee to be US Ambassador to New
Zealand, Niue, the Cook Islands and Samoa.
Nearing the
end of a year-long confirmation process, Novelly finally
faced questions from the Senate Foreign Relations committee
on Friday.
He told the Committee his top priorities in
the role would be promoting a “free and open Pacific”,
expanding a US defence presence, and promoting business
opportunities, particularly in critical minerals.
“In
advancing the President’s agenda, we have few better
partners than New Zealand,” Novelly said.
“The
government of New Zealand consistently supports our goals in
the region and beyond.”
Novelly gave particular
attention to China’s presence in the Pacific, with
particular reference to naval drills carried out by the
Chinese Navy in the Tasman Sea last February.
A year
on, he called it “an example of alarming, even destablising
behaviour in the Pacific”, pointing to a need to counteract
such behaviour with an increased US military
presence.
“Few countries understand the darkening
security environment in the Pacific better than New
Zealand,” he said.
In the same vein, Novelly credited
Samoa with what he called “a prudent approach” to accepting
development loans from China.
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“I would encourage the
government in Samoa to continue this approach and ensure it
is never pressured into a deal that would compromise its
sovereignty.”
Novelly, previously based in Sydney,
owns the Illawarra Hawks, an Australian National Basketball
League (NBL) team.
According to BusinessDesk,
his family has a net worth of US$1.2 billion as of March
2025.
‘Extreme opportunity’ in the Cooks
The
Trump administration has made no secret of its ambition for
the US’ critical minerals sector, sparking a new contest
with China for the deep Pacific seabed.
“One of the
biggest shocks I received is to find that most of the
world’s cobalt comes from the Democratic Republic of the
Congo in Africa, and is refined in China,” Novelly told
senators.
He noted that under Cook Islands waters
contained possibly the largest cobalt deposit in the
world.
“The fact that the Cook [Islands] have opened
up their EEZ (exclusive economic zones), expanding from
their traditional industry base of tourism to exploitation
of their minerals, I see that as an extreme opportunity for
the US to play its part.”
Novelly said he was
“impressed” by Pacific cultures.
“The oceans are
sacred to Pacific Islanders, so the fact that the Cook
Islands believe they can exploit this with a responsible
method I think is the proper lens to look at it
with.”
It comes nearly two months after President
Trump signed an executive order declaring critical minerals
a matter of US national security. The order indicated that
the US would start issuing seabed mining permits in global
waters, bypassing international regulators.
“The
Secretary also suggested that it may be appropriate to
impose import restrictions, such as tariffs, if satisfactory
agreements are not reached in a timely manner,” the order
read.
Manoeuvres to access Pacific Island EEZs have
ramped up since Trump took office, with a focus on countries
whose waters come close to the lucrative Clarion-Clipperton
Zone. This includes the Cook Islands and Tonga.
In the
case of the Cooks, formal relations with the US opened in
September 2023, and a “Strategic Framework for Critical
Minerals Research and Supply Chain Security” was announced
last month.
Under the non-legally binding agreement,
both sides agreed to scout locations together, and start
initial negotiations with investors and contractors, under a
“US-Cook Islands Working Group”.
Novelly said the
partnership is good for all parties.
A year before,
the Cooks struck
a controversial deal with China along similar
lines.
“I would expand our collaboration with local
authorities to promote the responsible development of seabed
mineral resources,” he said.
“A strong partnership
with the Cook Islands means a strong supply
chain.”
Novelly now awaits Senate confirmation before
his official appointment as
Ambassador.
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