Hughes Gareth: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeHughes Gareth: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 15 October 2013. Volume:694;Page:13837. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]9.GARETH HUGHES (Green) to theMinister of Energy and Resources: Does he stand by his statement that “there may well be” a relief rig present during the drilling of Anadarko’s exploratory deep sea oil wells; if so can he guarantee that there will be a relief rig?Hon SIMON BRIDGES (Minister of Energy and Resources): Yes I stand by my statement. Anadarko will undertake seismic surveying in the Pegasus Basin this summer. In the event that it proceeds to exploratory drilling it will be required—along with many other requirements—to have a discharge management plan approved by Maritime New Zealand. It must convince Maritime New Zealand that it understands all possible adverse events that it can model a series of event scenarios of how it will deal with worst-case scenarios and of what resources it will bring to bear. I am not prepared to pre-empt that thorough regulatory process by assuming what will or will not be required. It could include a relief rig though.Gareth Hughes: Why should Kiwis believe his simplistic promises that nothing will go wrong with deep-sea exploratory drilling when it took 86 days to plug the Deepwater Horizon blowout and he will not even commit to having a relief well in New Zealand while this dangerous drilling is under way?Hon SIMON BRIDGES: I do not think that what I have been saying in many interviews has been simplistic. I think I have tried to run through the layered processthat businesses have to go through and the fact that some will not make it because it is so comprehensive.Gareth Hughes: Does the Minister think his own uncontrolled blowout onCampbell Live last night did anything to reassure the people ofKaikōura that he can control a blowout 2.7 kilometres under water?Hon SIMON BRIDGES: It is very exciting to be trending on Twitter—whatever that means—but look I think I have tried to be reassuring to the people ofKaikōura that there are actually great benefits from oil and gas exploration and development and that we have the systems and the process in place to make it very safe.David Shearer: Can he understand why the community ofKaikōura is not reassured by the measures that he is proposing with the Anadarko exploration when it can see no direct benefits from the oil and when the containment measures and response stand currently at three 11-metre dinghies?Hon SIMON BRIDGES: Well I can understand fears about these sorts of things—I certainly can. Much of what the member has said is inaccurate. But the fact of the matter is that there will be direct benefits forKaikōura if this goes from seismic surveying to exploration drilling and then to production. There will be very significant benefits in terms of royalties that go to roads better infrastructure and so on and jobs.Gareth Hughes: Is it not the real fact of the matter that the Minister is more focused on defending Anadarko’s reputation than he is on defending the environment and the economy which relies on it?Hon SIMON BRIDGES: I think as I made clear on a great TV show last night that my interests are not in defending Anadarko; my interests are actually in ordinary New Zealanders getting higher-paying jobs. That is what oil and gas can in combination with many other things deliver.Brendan Horan: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I move that we give the Minister more time to dig himself deeper—Mr SPEAKER: Order! The member is very lucky he will be remaining in the House for the rest of question time.