SpeechGARETH HUGHES (Green): Madam Chair thank you very much. I'm quite glad for one that member did choose to sit down. Madam Chair kia ora. Ngā mihi nui ki a koutou kia ora. I rise to speak in support of the Estimates debate. It's a privilege to sit on this committee. I'd like to acknowledge the chairperson Jonathan Young and all the members of the Economic Development Science and Innovation Committee. You know when you look at the energy component of this report it's a time of incredible change in all sectors actually and the report just before the energy section deals with issues the committee heard from blockchains the internet of things artificial reality—these are all technologies rapidly transforming the energy landscape in New Zealand. I guess I'd like to start by pointing out it has to change. You know as a dad it's something I feel viscerally. Any time I'm on social media with the latest news from around the world—I mean this month we've seen the Arctic is literally on fire; Greenland has melted 55 billion tons of water in only a five-day period and in fact 50 years earlier than climate forecasts; and we see damaging heatwaves literally killing people today around the world. So we need things to change and when you look at what's in this report it's a road map and a foundation for change because what we're seeing is a huge opportunity to electrify our industry and transport in New Zealand. This is not only an opportunity to reduce carbon; it's an opportunity to reduce the $6 billion to $9 billion of annual fuel imports we have and to produce our products more productively more efficiently cheaper—actually helping people's bottom line. The fact is it is a time of rapid change. We need it to change and it is changing. When you look at the information contained in this report we've got action on electric vehicles zero-carbon Act legislation coming through Parliament a Green Investment Fund being established a just transitions unit established within the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment (MBIE) and a clean energy research centre in Taranaki—a vision for 100 percent clean energy.Here I'd like to acknowledge the Minister because she came to the committee and pointed out that New Zealand has already seen $656 million in renewable investments over the preceding 18 months. We're blessed—we've got a wealth of renewable energy opportunities in New Zealand. So if we do want to electrify our industry and transport if we do want to get closer to 100 percent we're one of the countries most fortunate with a range of choices from wind geothermal and solar. I guess that's my vision for energy going forward. It's not just drilling holes in the ground; it's actually creating jobs by installing insulation under roofs and solar panels on top—and the Minister pointed out that we're seeing a rapidly reducing price for renewables. Back in 2011 the world saw a tipping point where more money was invested in renewables over fossil fuels. For decades previously the world had always gone down a nuclear or fossil fuel path. The global ship has literally turned around and we see those rapidly dropping costs in New Zealand. I mean just across my lifetime the cost of solar panels has dropped 99 percent per watt—phenomenal—and continues to drop. So we have a vision for getting close to 100 percent clean energy: insulating homes people being able to produce their own power—and for New Zealand we're never going to be exporting electricity across a cable to the Islands or to Australia but we have a tremendous opportunity to be exporting intellectual property: the software the services and the smart ideas the world is crying out for. However though if you listen to the National members' questions in the debate or what we hear tonight—or in fact today in their response to the Commerce Commission's report into fuel prices—National is focused on last century's economy. They're focused on more fossil fuels more resource extraction. Now it's incredible—when the Commerce Commission's come out saying that the fuel companies' margins doubled under the previous tenure who on earth do you think National would come out to bat for? Incredibly they chose today to come out and bat for the oil companies. Now something I'm incredibly proud to see is that this Government's winding back the subsidies that the previous Government put in place to promote more fossil fuel extraction in New Zealand. Under the previous Government over the last 10 years we saw $237 million of taxpayers' money go to fossil fuel extraction subsidies in New Zealand. We saw support for resource and development for data packs for hosting conferences and for special sponsorship. I still remember the time Phil Heatley spent a cool quarter of a million dollars just hosting 11 oil executives for four days. So what you're seeing is those subsidies being wound back a vision for the future being articulated real support on the ground—be it the research energy centre in Taranaki or the just transitions unit. This is New Zealand's future looking towards the future where the future is low carbon. It is investing in intellectual property and innovation. It's not just kind of like the Beverly Hillbillies hoping that OMV find something you know off our coast. It's about making our own way in the future looking at those global trends and this is why I'm glad to say in this Estimates report there's a huge amount of support for clean energy not just fossil fuels.