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New Zealand wrong target for energy protestors
20 April 2011
New Zealand wrong target for energy protestors
New Zealand’s oil and gas industry has a world-class reputation for operating safely, cleanly and responsibly, according to the Petroleum Exploration and Production Association of New Zealand.
PEPANZ Spokesperson David Crawford said New Zealand has had a petroleum industry for more than 50 years and in that time it has operated in a responsible manner for the benefit of all New Zealanders.
“Offshore companies share New Zealanders’ concern for safety and protecting the environment. They follow best international practice as well as complying with comprehensive New Zealand regulations.
“The industry also supports the adequate resourcing of the offshore petroleum inspectorate and recommends three, not one, inspectors to do the job properly,” Mr Crawford said.
He said the protestors have a right to their views. It should be recognised, however, that the contribution of the oil and gas industry to New Zealand’s economy is significant. “In the current environment, when we need to recover from a recession and rebuild Christchurch after February’s devastating earthquake, the industry provides substantial revenue, jobs, skills training and community investment,” Mr Crawford said.
New Zealand’s oil and gas industry contributes $2.5 billion to the nation’s GDP and the tax contribution (royalties and company tax) is $730 million to $1 billion a year. The industry employs over 7,700 people. This includes jobs for thousands of local contractors, for example, suppliers, specialist services, engineering and design.
About 75% of New Zealand’s power generation comes from renewables and Mr Crawford said it was right for the government to aim for more. In the meantime to close the gap in our energy needs it made sense to benefit from our mineral resources.
“All of us share the desire to keep New Zealand clean and green. The petroleum industry is doing that by prioritising safety while responsibly extracting our oil and gas,” Mr Crawford said.
He said internationally lessons had been learned from the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, promoting improved safety and environmental practices.
“Even though we have a very good safety record in New Zealand the industry continually works at doing these things better. It is in all our best interests to do so,” Mr Crawford said.
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