ACT Energy and Resources spokesman Simon Court is welcoming the mayor of New Plymouth’s support for cross-party action to deliver confidence to the natural gas sector and avoid an energy crisis.

“Chris Hipkins might not want to listen to ACT, but he ought to pay attention when regional communities say they’re hurting,” says Mr Court, who last week wrote to party leaders calling for a cross-party accord on natural gas.

“The shutdown of Methanex’s plants, even temporarily, will have painful second-order effects for the wider region. Methanex provides hundreds of high-paying jobs to practical people who didn’t necessarily go to university. The livelihoods of so many families in Taranaki and beyond are intrinsically linked to companies like Methanex and the region’s natural gas resources.

“The fact this closure is being framed by some as good news for the way it frees up gas shows just how desperate things have become in New Zealand. We already knew that the scarcity of natural gas is contributing to high energy prices, and now we’re seeing its impact on employment. Of course, the news from Methanex comes off the back of Winstone Pulp pausing operations in neighbouring Ruapehu in the face of soaring energy costs.

“Unless parties across Parliament give confidence that gas companies can invest and explore without being made illegal, we’ll sleepwalk into an energy crisis. That means families unable to pay their power bills, and regional communities hollowed out from the inside as major employers shut down.

“Chris Hipkins must show some political maturity and respond.”

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