PM wants wind and mining companies to co-exist off South Taranaki Bight

Wednesday, 2 October 2024

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon wants companies looking to invest in seabed mining and wind farms off the South Taranaki Bight to find a solution to how they could potentially work together.

Despite continual protests against the prospect of seabed mining, Luxon was adamant when he visited New Plymouth on Tuesday that energy and money-generating natural resources need to be found.

With one eye clearly on the future, Luxon met Port Taranaki chief executive Simon Craddock to discuss what needed to be done to build the region’s infrastructure to handle wind farm development.

The meeting came a day after the Government outlined a 43-point to do list for the remainder of 2024 which included introducing legislation to make it easier to build offshore wind farms.

“We are pushing very, very hard to make sure we get that legislation completed by the end of this year,” Luxon said.

“We obviously [also] want to end the oil and gas ban by the end of this year.”

Despite growing scepticism that oil and gas exploration would not be returning to the region, Luxon remained positive there would be enough incentives provided to companies to invest and fill the void until high generating renewable energy became possible.

“We have an energy crisis in New Zealand in a country that has abundant natural resources,” he said.

“The reality is yes, we want to double the amount of renewable energy in this country, we need to do that, and we are determined to do that, so that’s why we are going to fast track, so we can get wind farms built.”

That meant offshore wind operators and seabed mining companies, like Trans Tasman Resources, “need to get together and work out how they can co-exist” which was ultimately a decision for them, he said.

Luxon knows that prospect would mean more protests against seabed mining, starting again in Pātea on Wednesday, where Te Pāti Māori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer was expected to be at the forefront.

“As to whether it (seabed mining) does or doesn’t happen, we will see where we get to,” he said.

“The bottom line is this country needs to grow. We are in a recession, the economy is shrinking and as you have seen in the last few months, people are losing their jobs.”

That meant the country needed to “grow our way out of it” and take opportunities that were presented while building energy security and “making the most” out of New Zealand’s natural resources.

“We have got to get the country growing, it’s taking way too long.”

Earlier, Luxon began his visit to the city at the official opening of Warner Construction’s new engineering facility at Bell Block where he met company founder Alan Warner and his son, managing director Adam.

After a brief discussion the Prime Minster was ushered into a side room where he signed a number of Taranaki rugby jerseys at the urging of Taranaki Rugby chief executive Mike Sandle.

While in the room Luxon vowed to wear one of the amber and black strips in Parliament, but only if Taranaki won the Ranfurly Shield on Sunday from Tasman, providing the holders don’t lose to Auckland on Wednesday.

Once escorted into the body of the engineering factory, Luxon took up an offer to do some welding, which took considerably less time than to kit him out with protective clothing.

The stage was then set to address the crowd, his speech warmly welcomed by the dozens of invited guests from the engineering sector.

“I just want to say firstly thank you for letting me do some welding and thank you for helping me avoid a health and safety incident,” he said.

“I also want you know how proud I will be to wear that Taranaki rugby jersey if you win the Shield.”

He was also not shy in congratulating the Warner family for their new facility which he said they should be genuinely proud of.