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RNZ News
15 minutes ago
- RNZ News
Coalition parties call for opposition not to re-ban oil and gas exploration
New Zealand First's Shane Jones has been leading the effort to get the ban repealed. Photo: RNZ / Mark Papalii Coalition parties are calling for the opposition not to re-ban oil and gas exploration in the hope more political consensus will bolster the industry - but those pleas seem to be falling on deaf ears. The legislation scrapping the 2018 ban passed through Parliament on Thursday night with Labour, the Greens and Te Pāti Māori pledging to restore it if they win power - a stance that could yet keep oil companies from investing in exploring for new wells. The repeal fulfils election promises from both National and ACT, though New Zealand First's Shane Jones has been leading the effort. Jones stood alongside Jacinda Ardern in 2018 to announce the ban. But in a media statement after the bill passed his boss Winston Peters rubbished as "flimsy" official reports suggesting the cost of the ban could be up to about $8 billion, and said using less fossil fuels would lower emissions. Jones in a statement on Thursday however said the ban was "ill-fated" and "has exacerbated shortages in our domestic gas supply by obliterating new investment in the exploration and development needed to meet our future gas needs". "New Zealanders are bearing the brunt of this constrained gas supply, and energy security concerns are impacting investor sentiment ... we are seeing businesses in the regions closing as a result with Kiwis losing their jobs, and we're importing hundreds of tonnes of Indonesian coal to meet peak energy demand. "This legislation is just one of many actions we are taking to get the right settings in place to resuscitate sector confidence, shore up energy supply and protect electricity affordability." He was absent from Parliament on Thursday, leaving the main government speech to the National Party's Simon Watts - the minister for Energy and Climate Change. Watts said the opposition's argument that reversing the ban would not yield new gas for a decade was "a distraction". "The immediate signal that this bill sends to investors is critical now. It encourages immediate investment in long-term exploration and in maximising production from our existing fields, which can deliver benefits far sooner. "New Zealand is committed to a clean-energy transition and meeting our emissions targets. We have committed to deliver net zero by 2050, including by doubling renewable electricity, and removing consenting barriers. Natural gas remains critical to our energy security. Without gas, we would need to either rely on more coal, which results in around twice the carbon dioxide emissions than natural gas, or face energy insecurity and higher prices." His Labour Party counterpart Megan Woods, however, said the evidence showed record investment in existing fields after 2018. "For this government to claim that it had a chilling effect on investment is simply wrong. What we had was those offshore oil and gas operators looking for every last bit they could eke out of the existing fields and it is not there. "Then we had Shane Jones saying that this will open up opportunities off the East Coast of the South Island. Well, news flash: billions of dollars have been spent looking for that particular El Dorado ... this government is going to give $200 million to offshore companies to go and have a look again where they've already decided there are not commercial finds available." She pointed to official analysis showing reversing the ban would add 14.2 million tonnes of emissions, and "a bit that should have been redacted from the regulatory impact statement" showing it could affect trade. "Let me read from that: 'Legally privileged: Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade assessed that reversing the 2018 ban would likely be inconsistent with the obligations in several of New Zealand's free-trade agreements' - so farmers need to be worried, our access to the EU and the UK are being put at risk." Green Party spokesperson for just transitions Steve Abel was also sceptical the oil industry could be attracted back. He was part of the Oil-Free Seas Flotilla in 2011 that harried Petrobras' surveying ship for 42 days, welcomed to the area by a 500-strong haka "said by Te Whānau-a-Apanui, the iwi greeting us, to be the biggest haka since James Cook had arrived in that part of the country - I'm hoping we were more worthy of it than he was", he said. He listed off a series of oil companies that exited New Zealand before the ban came into place: Exxon Mobil abandoning its southern oil and gas hunt in November 2010 after three years, Petrobras in December 2012, Texan driller Anadarko exiting its permit on the North Island's west coast in May 2014, Statoil quitting its Northland permit in October 2016, and Shell selling its remaining assets to OMV in March 2018. He said the ban was the "final nail in the coffin of an industry that was already declaring its own demise in this country, because they came, they prospected, they found nothing, and they found nothing but overwhelming public opposition from the people of this country". Echelon Resources - the company formerly known as New Zealand Oil and Gas, last month told RNZ the best wells are typically drilled first , so new drilling will be more difficult and expensive. Its managing director Andrew Jeffries said other countries had more political consensus, making New Zealand an even more unattractive option for investment. ACT Party MP Simon Court said the repeal would restore certainty, credibility and confidence, but called on Labour not to re-impose the ban if it won power. "Today marks the end of an era - a really bad one. It marks the end of a six-year reign of economic vandalism and energy illiteracy by the previous New Zealand Labour government. "Even the Honourable Shane Jones said at the time - bless his soul - that ending oil and gas exploration 'is the only scenario'. When he stood at that podium, I was shocked, but I'm pleased that minister has come to his senses - but profoundly disappointed that the Labour Party still has not." His leader David Seymour said it was "very possible that they won't find the gas, but the impediment to people getting cheaper energy should not be our own government, and that's why I say if New Zealand First can change their mind then Labour should be able to do that too".
RNZ News
15 minutes ago
- RNZ News
Rule changes about chores children can do on farms misunderstood, Federated Farmers says
Wayne and Tyler Langford. Photo: Frank Film / supplied People have misunderstood the government's announcement regarding the threshold for light chores that children can do on farms, Federated Farmers says. On Tuesday Labour ridiculed the government's consultation with the agricultural sector after Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden's announcement included the examples collecting eggs and watering plants. In the announcement, van Velden said one proposed change was to amend the General Risk Regulations to make it clear that young people could safely take part in light chores on family farms . "We'll be consulting with farmers and the agriculture sector on the thresholds for light chores children can do on farms, like collecting eggs, feeding small animals and watering plants, while ensuring safety is not compromised. "I expect higher-risk activities such as being near heavy machinery like a hay baler will remain off-limits. As children grow older, they'll be able to undertake more complex tasks with supervision and training, such as driving a tractor." Federated Farmers New Zealand president Wayne Langford said farmers had been calling for clarity on the rules. "Taking a closer look at these rules is really important, so it's disappointing a lot of people have gotten the wrong end of the stick," Langford said. "The government aren't trying to add layers of bureaucracy or wrap farm kids up in cotton wool. They're actually trying to do the exact opposite of what's been portrayed in the media so far. "This is all about making sure health and safety rules are practical, common sense, and easy to understand - and Federated Farmers absolutely welcome that conversation." He said the examples given by van Velden were unfortunate and concerns related to situations where children could be harmed, such as around large stock, heavy machinery and quad bikes. "What she was saying was that, 'Hey, let's look at the roles that kids can play on farm and some of those that maybe should be avoided'. "For example, on my farm I keep my young children out of the milking shed. It's a dangerous place for the kids to be. It's a place where they could be kicked or harmed." In a statement, van Velden said the government was proposing making it clear that children could safely take part in "light chores" on family farms - but she expected higher-risk activities involving heavy machinery would remain off-limits. Farmers had told her they wanted the law to recognise that the farm was both their workplace and home, she said. Langford said the current health and safety rules for farmers had gone "way too far" and were unnecessarily confusing for smaller family-owned farming operations. "We're talking about small mum and dad type businesses which might only employ one or two staff members. "They're certainly not big corporates with a health and safety manager on staff. "They're hands-on farmers who actually spend their days farming rather than sitting in an office. That's why it's so important these rules are practical and easy to understand." He said confusion about health and safety obligations meant some farmers no longer allowed children on the farm like they would have in the past, for fear of falling foul of the law. "There's something very special about growing up on a farm and having that classic rural childhood many farmers enjoyed themselves," Langford said. He said his own son was very good at reading stock because he'd grown up around them and spent so much time by his father's side on the farm. "That's the childhood I had, and my own kids have had something similar, but I think we're at risk of losing that kind of upbringing if we don't get these rules right." Langford said preserving that traditional rural Kiwi upbringing, while still keeping kids safe, was what was trying to be achieved. Labour's workplace relations and safety spokesperson Jan Tinetti said the government was focusing on a non-existent problem and her colleague Kieran McAnulty questioned the rationale and said he "wouldn't have thought" it was an issue. "It's pretty common knowledge if an egg is covered in poo, you don't lick it. Wash your hands afterwards, what's the problem?" McAnulty said. But Langford said collecting eggs and watering plants was "not really what we're talking about here". "The fact those are the talking points the minister was provided with by bureaucrats tells you everything you need to know about why we need to get Wellington out of farming," Langford said. "In reality, we're talking about things like feeding calves, shifting stock, or helping mum and dad hose down the shed after milking - perfectly safe everyday farming activities." He said Federated Farmers looked forward to engaging in the consultation process. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
8 hours ago
- RNZ News
Allegations Maori have been removed from Maori roll
Te Pati Maori said they have filed urgent proceedings in the High Court after allegations Maori have been removed or shifted off the Maori roll without their consent. A number of voters have posted online to say their electoral enrolment details have been altered or are not there at all. It comes on the eve of local election enrolment cutoff and ahead of sweeping electoral changes promised by the government. To embed this content on your own webpage, cut and paste the following: See terms of use.
