Sowry Roger: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers Questions to Members Questions to Ministers 
Sowry Roger: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers Questions to Members Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:618;Page:14469] 
7.  
Hon ROGER SOWRY (National) 
 to the  
Minister of Energy 
: Is he confident Transpower New Zealand Limited will be able to carry out required future upgrades of the national grid and ensure continued security of electricity supply; if so why? 
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN (Leader of the House) 
 on behalf of the 
 Minister of Energy 
: Yes. The ridiculous situation left by the previous Government which meant that Transpower could not get paid for new investments is now being fixed with the establishment of the Electricity Commission. 
Hon Roger Sowry 
: Does he share Transpower’s concerns that the protection that the Government’s Foreshore and Seabed Bill gives to customary rights orders could prevent it from installing new lines and cables; and what reports has he asked for from officials or from Transpower to ensure that this is not the case? 
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN 
: I am pleased to say that today Transpower has clarified its comments yesterday and said that the Foreshore and Seabed Bill does not create a threat to New Zealand’s electricity supply. I might go slightly further as I know just a small amount about this piece of legislation and point out that it is most unlikely that customary usage rights will exist where there is already a pylon in place. 
Hon Ken Shirley 
: If he is confident that existing legislative frameworks do not impede major developments and investment in the transmission grid then why has his Government embarked on a major review of the Resource Management Act specific to impediments to infrastructural development and with particular reference to the national grid? 
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN 
: The review being undertaken of the Resource Management Act is not with particular reference to the national grid at all. It is covering a range of issues the great majority of which would have very little to do with the national grid. But certainly the points made by Transpower no doubt will be listened to carefully by the select committee and indeed points made by industry in general are being listened to carefully by the Government as are points being made by environmental groups as well. 
Jeanette Fitzsimons 
: What steps are the Minister and the Electricity Commission taking to ensure that proposals to expand transmission capacity are properly assessed against the kinds of efficiency gains achieved by Orion networks such as load shifting distributor generation built closer to demand and efficiency gains which do not require digging up any land? 
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN 
: All those issues will be taken into account by the Electricity Commission as part of the review of the transmission system and no doubt will be taken into account by shareholding Ministers should Transpower be consulting with shareholding Ministers in the event of proposing a major upgrade to the system. It is also true of course that in the long term an upgrade to the system will actually improve the efficiency of the electricity system and waste less electricity. 
Hon Roger Sowry 
: In the light of his original answer that today Transpower had changed its position from yesterday is he able to confirm to the House that this was done after Transpower was contacted by either the Minister or someone in the Minister’s office; if so why did the Government deem it necessary to contact Transpower this morning? 
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN 
: I not able to confirm that on the base information. I do understand however that the chief executive of Transpower was not aware that that submission was being made. 
Hon Roger Sowry 
: Is it his practice or the practice of his office to ring Transpower or other State-owned enterprises and threaten them if they get a bad story in the newspaper as a result of a submission to the select committee so that they then clarify and change their position? 
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN 
: No. I assume the question is being addressed to the Minister of Energy but the Minister of Energy is aware that all State-owned enterprises are expected tgo engage in a no-surprises policy in terms of public statements and that was indeed the policy engaged in by the previous Government.