Greenpeace says Ardern has 'the benefit of the doubt' over end to oil

Tuesday, 20 March 2018

Greenpeace has said it is giving the Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern 'the benefit of the doubt' over her position on ending oil exploration but has continued to mount pressure.

Environmental group Greenpeace says a failure to end oil exploration would put Labour in the same camp as National, but for now Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has 'the benefit of the doubt'.

The future of oil exploration in New Zealand was placed in the spotlight when Ardern made a highly symbolic move to receive a petition calling for the end of oil exploration on Monday, delaying attending a state visit to tell the rally that the Government was 'actively considering' the issue.

Flanked by Energy Minister Megan Woods and Climate Change Minister James Shaw, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern takes the unusual step of personally receiving a petition calling for an end of oil exploration in New Zealand.

Hours later Ardern suggested consideration being given to the issue was one which Government's considered annually: how the annual block offer process under which exploration areas are marketed to the oil and gas industry, was administered.

Ardern spent part of Tuesday denying inconsistency in her statements.

'What is the difference between considering the future of oil and gas exploration and considering oil and gas permits for the next year? It's exactly the same thing…Considering block offers, you're considering the future of oil and gas exploration. That is how people access oil and gas exploration.'

Ardern at one point appeared to rule out any change to existing contracts, but later said that 'everything' was being considered.

'We're considering everything. And that's the point I've been trying to make, we're considering everything.'

Greenpeace climate campaigner Kate Simcock, who delivered the petition to Ardern, said the Prime Minister's attendance at the rally was taken as a positive sign.

'The petition was designed to send a strong message that the public want her to rule out any new permits going forward and we took it as incredibly positive that she came,' Simcock said.

'For now we're giving her the benefit of the doubt and we'll continue to send a strong message that New Zealanders want to end oil exploration.'

The organisation is maintaining pressure, running advertisements in newspapers on Wednesday to publish an open letter from notable New Zealanders calling for an end to exploration.

Simcock said ending oil exploration would represent 'major success' for the climate movement, but there was only one option to avoid being on the wrong side of the argument.

Simcock said if Ardern's Government awarded new exploration permits 'she's probably in the same boat as [National leader] Simon Bridges when he put all of this into action. Our position on that was we've got a Government that's not listening to the people and not taking climate change seriously.'

Bridges has speculated that the Labour-led Government is more likely to be considering changing how it offers new permits for oil exploration.

The National leader said Ardern was using the oil and gas issue as a means to distract from Labour's other problems.

'Words really matter. This is a multi-billion dollar sector that contributes hugely in terms of jobs in our regions, not a political play thing for the Prime Minister to get her out of a hole.'