Auchinvole Chris: Electricity Industry Reform Amendment Bill — Second Reading In Committee Third Reading 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Auchinvole Chris: Electricity Industry Reform Amendment Bill — Second Reading In Committee Third Reading 
[Sitting date: 02 September 2008. Volume:649;Page:18559. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
CHRIS AUCHINVOLE (National) 
: 
 In speaking to Part 1 of the Electricity Industry Reform Amendment Bill I note from the report from the Commerce Committee that the submissions fell into two opposite and probably irreconcilable schools of thought when they were being considered in the committee. I guess with electricity one should expect a degree of polarisation but there is a current of enthusiasm for progress associated with Part 1. It does not generate too many surprises and the recommendations of the select committee incorporate the best of the submission points.  
I would like to follow on from my colleague Lindsay Tisch and select that same area of significance in Part 1—the interpretation clause—which will be of particular interest to electricity lines companies consumers generators and others. The particular definition that is of interest is of a “renewable energy resource”. This is a very significant part of the bill and determines that a renewable energy resource comprises—and I will read out the list so that people are aware—“solar wind hydro geothermal biomass tidal wave ocean current sources or any other energy source that occurs naturally and the use of which will not permanently deplete New Zealand’s energy sources of that kind because those sources are generally expected to be replenished by natural processes within 50 years or less of being used”. The West Coast has 56 rivers and heaps of creeks and this means that with all the necessary compliance conditions being met and all the permits properly gained it will not be necessary now for small lines companies to seek special approval from the Commerce Commission. This means smaller companies can be spared that additional cost and can now consider getting out of the poverty trap that they were previously in.  
We do need the electricity and I would in some measure support the earlier comments of Mr Brown having said that I did not quite agree that we need “abundant” electricity. We have the abundant means of generating it already there but we do need a sufficient amount of electricity to encourage new business and development. The latest projection of power requirement or power demand increases for an area such as the West Coast which currently uses only 46 megawatts with increased dairying with increased mining— 
Hon Parekura Horomia 
: What about the East Coast? 
CHRIS AUCHINVOLE 
: We will come to the East Coast. I would have hoped the member would be the advocate for the East Coast. I am the advocate for the West Coast. But I have no objection to the East Coast. I have been up there a little bit. 
Hon Harry Duynhoven 
: Damien O’Connor does a really good job. 
CHRIS AUCHINVOLE 
: I raise a point of order Mr Chairperson. I was not aware it was normal for Ministers in the chair to interject. 
The CHAIRPERSON (H V Ross Robertson) 
: They can interject but I have my finger here and it goes on the button. Also if they constantly interject then they will be pulled up by the Chair. 
CHRIS AUCHINVOLE 
: Thank you Mr Chair. I am more than happy to advocate for the West Coast particularly in the absence of anybody else doing so. We need that electricity increase for the farms and mines that are developing in that area. It is an interesting list of approved energy sources and I look forward to checking it again in a couple of years and seeing how many of the opportunities have been taken up by small-scale operations hopefully fulfilling the purpose of this bill to drive down the cost and price of power. I note the combination of cost and price. That is a good idea so that the benefit of efficient electricity generation flows to all classes of consumers and to new investment in generation from renewable energy resources. Thank you Mr Chairman.