Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has written to Labour leader Chris Hipkins urging him to commit his party to supporting offshore exploration for natural gas for at least the next 10 years, in an effort to achieve a “credible, bipartisan approach”.
But Hipkins has called it a “political stunt rather than a genuine attempt at building bipartisan consensus”.
It’s a political necessity. No company will want to invest in gas exploration if they think the next Government may ban it in a few years.
Gas reserves have been depleting quicker than predicted, with Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) data showing that, as of January 1, 2025, reserves had reduced 27% compared to last year.
A March briefing to ministers said domestic gas supply “is not adequate to meet demand and reserves are falling faster than anticipated”.
The less gas we have, the more coal we need to import.
David Farrar runs Curia Market Research, a specialist opinion polling and research agency, and the popular Kiwiblog where this article was sourced. He previously worked in the Parliament for eight years, serving two National Party Prime Ministers and three Opposition Leaders
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