The Government’s long-delayed energy plan does nothing to tackle soaring power bills or support businesses struggling with crippling energy costs.
“New Zealanders are being let down. Today’s announcement is a weak, short-sighted response that fails to confront the reality of our broken energy system,” Labour energy spokesperson Megan Woods said.
“Instead of delivering real solutions to lower power bills, the Government has chosen to tinker at the edges and protect the status quo. The Coalition failed and couldn’t find a set of measures they could agree on so New Zealand households and businesses are going to be saddled with high energy prices for longer.
“Christopher Luxon promised to make the cost of living better. Instead, he’s making it worse – choosing to support the fossil fuel industry instead of families.
“Christopher Luxon’s gamble on gas that might not even exist shows just how out of touch he is. Over the past five years, $1.8 billion has been wasted on drilling 58 wells, and gas reserves are still falling. It’s time to he faced reality: New Zealand must shift to cleaner, cheaper energy alternatives and fast.
“There are practical steps the Government could take immediately; installing solar panels on schools, supporting households with solar and battery systems, partnering with businesses to transition to cheaper energy sources, and leveraging the Government’s own energy demand to drive investment. But none of this urgency is reflected in today’s plan.
“The Government’s plan also ignores one of the sector’s biggest challenges: storing energy for dry years and when the sun isn’t shining or the wind isn’t blowing.
“How many more businesses need to close and how many jobs need to go before National does something meaningful?
“People are struggling, but Christopher Luxon’s plan is all talk and no action. New Zealand can’t afford three more years of National. New Zealanders deserve a government focused on cheaper power bills and long-term energy security – not propping up an outdated industry,” Megan Woods said.