Energy

services and systems

Greens call on Government to act on power bills before winter

The Green Party is calling on the Government to use every tool they have as shareholding Ministers of the major gentailers to bring power bills down before winter, after new data shows tens of thousands more households can't afford to keep warm."No New Zealander should be left in the cold and dark this winter while the Government's own power companies are banking record profits," says Green Party Co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick.  In a letter to both Ministers, Swarbrick sets out the steps the Government can take immediately to keep...

Posted at May 11, 2026 12:13 PM by Chlöe Swarbrick and Scott Willis

services and systems

Greens’ State of the Planet calls for National Electrification Plan

The Green Party has used its 2026 State of the Planet address to set out a vision for a resilient, independent Aotearoa and to call on the Government to create a National Electrification Plan.Co-leader Marama Davidson spoke about the middle-east crisis, the case for an independent, principled foreign policy, and the Green Party’s consistent stance on getting off fossil fuels.  "What is happening in the Middle East is first and foremost a human catastrophe. Civilians are being killed and injured. Livelihoods are being destroyed. International law...

Posted at April 19, 2026 4:04 PM by Chlöe Swarbrick and Marama Davidson

services and systems

Fossil fuel companies on notice for price gouging

The Green Party is calling on petrol companies to act quickly following the announcement of a two-week ceasefire that has caused the price of fuel to drop."Fuel companies moved quickly to increase their prices at the start of the conflict. With prices falling off the back of the ceasefire, they need to come down just as fast," says Green Party Co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick.  "New Zealanders watch petrol prices jump up overnight when global oil prices spike, but when they fall,...

Posted at April 08, 2026 2:26 PM by Chlöe Swarbrick

services and systems

Govt fails to move energy system away from fossil fuels

More Government support for investment in oil, gas and LNG infrastructure is another step away from the sustainable and affordable energy network that this country needs.“Today’s underwhelming announcement does nothing to guarantee lower energy bills for struggling households and businesses,” says the Green Party Co-Leader, Marama Davidson.  “While the devil will be in the detail, these purported ‘reforms’ appear to only entrench the dominance of the gentailers and deepen our reliance on fossil fuels - a risky, expensive and increasingly...

Posted at October 01, 2025 8:47 AM by Marama Davidson

services and systems

Greens support CTU call for public investment in energy

The Greens back the call from CTU for bold, future-focussed action for our energy system.“Energy is a public good fundamental to our wellbeing. It should never have been treated as a commodity for private profit,” says Green Party Co-leader, Marama Davidson. “We can be a country where everyone has access to reliable, affordable and renewable energy. We just need the political will to do it. “For thirty years, electricity market privatisation has driven us towards short-term thinking, while gentailer  profiteering...

Posted at September 30, 2025 11:24 AM by Marama Davidson

services and systems

More oil and gas poured on climate fire as Govt reopens exploration

The Government announcing the re-opening of permits for oil and gas exploration is just the latest sign they care little for the climate crisis or the cost-of-living crisis climate change will exacerbate.“Nothing says climate leadership like opening new oil and gas fields in the middle of a climate crisis,” says the Green Party’s Energy spokesperson, Scott Willis. “Shane Jones’s notion that this is the solution to our energy crisis is farcical. This will mean higher fossil fuel emissions and ultimately,...

Posted at September 25, 2025 1:59 PM by Scott Willis

services and systems

Budget to increase energy hardship

Budget 2025 delays our transition to a low emissions and low-cost energy network, this will put even more pressure on households, businesses and the climate. “This Budget doesn’t leave enough to keep the lights on, let alone spark the transition towards a low-emissions and low-cost electricity network,” says the Green Party’s Spokesperson for Energy, Scott Willis. “Stripping $56 million from the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority comes on top of last year’s vicious cut. This cut is effectively delivering energy hardship...

Posted at May 22, 2025 4:21 PM by Scott Willis

services and systems

Greens call for end to subsidies for Methanex

The Green Party is calling for the Government to stop subsidising the largest user of the country’s gas supplies, Methanex, following a report highlighting the multi-national’s disproportionate influence on energy prices in Aotearoa.“Methanex has enjoyed a free ride for far too long, costing our communities and our energy security,” says the Green Party Energy spokesperson Scott Willis. “We can build an energy network that works for people and planet. Lower emissions and lower household costs go hand in glove.  “The...

Posted at December 16, 2024 1:30 PM by Scott Willis

services and systems

Fossil fuel lobbyist appointment to EECA board called out

The Green Party condemns the Government’s appointment of a fossil fuel lobbyist to the Energy Efficiency & Conservation Authority Board.“The appointment of a fossil fuel lobbyist to this board is like putting the fox in charge of the henhouse,” says the Green Party Spokesperson for Energy, Scott Willis. “This shows how entrenched climate denial is at the heart of this Government and completely flies in the face of the Authority’s mandate to promote energy efficiency. It’s also an insult to...

Posted at December 06, 2024 5:30 PM by Scott Willis

services and systems

Greens echo OECD call for electricity market reform

The Green Party has welcomed the OECD urging the Government to re-examine separating ‘gentailers’ to make a fairer electricity market for New Zealanders.“Our electricity market is failing people and planet, it is in desperate need of reinvention,” says the Green Party Energy Spokesperson Scott Willis. “The future is renewable energy, but the foundations of the current market have locked gentailers into using fossil fuels while locking new entrants and renewables out. We need political leadership to dismantle the monopoly and...

Posted at December 06, 2024 12:43 PM by Scott Willis

services and systems

Job losses from mill closures consequence of Govt inaction

Hundreds of jobs lost as a result of pulp mill closures in the Ruapehu District are a consequence of government inaction in addressing the shortfalls of our electricity network. “These closures and job losses are a damning indictment on the Government’s failure to address chronic flaws in our electricity market,” says the Green Party Energy Spokesperson Scott Willis. “We can build an electricity network that puts people and planet before profit, one that supports our communities without costing our climate. But...

Posted at September 10, 2024 5:44 PM by Scott Willis

services and systems

Fossil fuels never the answer in climate crisis

The Government’s moves to enable the import of Liquefied Natural Gas is another step away from the sustainable and affordable energy network that this country needs.“Investing in fossil fuels in the middle of a climate crisis is like buying stocks in the Titanic. Fossil fuels are a sinking ship we cannot afford to tie our future to,” says the Green Party Energy spokesperson, Scott Willis. “We can build a more sustainable and affordable energy network that puts people and planet...

Posted at August 26, 2024 4:48 PM by Scott Willis

services and systems

Energy giants treating households like cash machines

The Green Party is calling on the Government to step in as New Zealand’s four energy giants continue to pay outrageous dividends to shareholders while thousands of people struggle to keep warm.A new report out today by NZCTU, 350 Aotearoa and First Union shows that the big four big electricity companies continue to funnel billions of dollars into the pockets of shareholders instead of investing in clean, affordable energy.  “We can have lower household bills, and an energy system that...

Posted at December 14, 2023 2:42 PM by Scott Willis

services and systems

Greens would push Labour much further on solar power

Labour’s plan to support rooftop solar is a step in the right direction, but falls short of what could be achieved through the Green Party’s Clean Power Payment. “Only the Green Party has a plan to help people cover the full cost of installing solar panels, alongside a wide range of other clean energy upgrades,” says the Green Party’s energy spokesperson, Julie Anne Genter. “The Green Party’s Clean Power Payment will help many more people cover the cost of upgrading...

Posted at September 18, 2023 11:45 AM by Julie Anne Genter

services and systems

Bills lower, climate happier under Green Party plan

Labour’s announcement of an energy rebate is a step in the right direction, but the Greens’ Clean Power Payment would do much more for households.“The Clean Power Payment will save households hundreds of dollars on their energy bills, every year, and slash carbon emissions,” says Green Party energy spokesperson Julie Anne Genter. “People are struggling and the planet is heating at frightening speed. We can and must deal with both challenges at the same time. There is a clear answer...

Posted at September 08, 2023 3:11 PM by Julie Anne Genter