Energy Resources Aotearoa has welcomed the guilty verdict of Rosemary Penwarden on the two serious charges of making a false document and using a false document.

In the lead up to the 2019 Petroleum Conference, organised by Energy Resources Aotearoa’s predecessor PEPANZ, Penwarden distributed a falsified letter on PEPANZ letterhead advising attendees the event was indefinitely postponed.

Responding to the news, Energy Resources Aotearoa chief executive John Carnegie says:

"We are pleased to see the guilty verdict. Rosemary Penwarden’s actions caused unnecessary and unwarranted disruption to the premier conference for New Zealand’s upstream energy sector."

"New Zealand’s energy sector is hugely important to our economic prosperity and social wellbeing. While we are happy to see this issue finally approaching some sort of conclusion, it is still sad to see the lengths that some members of society will go to in order to wilfully and deliberately disrupt our sector."

Penwarden’s claims that the falsified letter was satirical did not convince the jury.

"We are extremely proud of the efforts that the energy sector has made and continues to make to reduce its emissions while providing New Zealand households and businesses with reliable, affordable and sustainable energy."

"New Zealand is a society where we are free to express our opinions. We fully support the freedom for people and groups to express their beliefs and to protest issues and policies they disagree with. However, a line can and must be drawn at illegal activity."

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