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: 20 March 2014. Volume:697;Page:16901. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]2.GARETH HUGHES (Green)to the Minister of Energy and Resources: Does he see New Zealand’s energy future in oil and gas exploration or renewable energy?Hon SIMON BRIDGES (Minister of Energy and Resources):It is not an either/or. This Government takes a mixed and balanced approach to our energy future. I am motivated of course as the member well knows by our economic opportunities that petroleum exploration presents including the role gas plays in mitigating carbon emissions. I am also excited about our renewables future. All generation currently being built in New Zealand is renewable as is the majority of consented generation.Gareth Hughes: If that is the case why is New Zealand ranked in the top 10 countries according to the Fraser Institute for policies that are favourable to oil and gas exploration yet is ranked 39 out of 40 next to Saudi Arabia for energy policies that support renewables?Hon SIMON BRIDGES: I do not accept that analysis. I think if you look at the figures when we came into Government in 2008 65 percent of electricity generation came from renewables. Today that is 75 percent. The last quarter of 2013 was a phenomenal—wait for it—84 percent from renewables. The last time it was that high was when there was a National Government in 1996. So the message is clear: if you want more renewables vote National.Gareth Hughes: Does the Minister agree with Eric Pyle the Chief Executive of the Wind Energy Association who says: “In New Zealand there are some subsidies and strong government support for the fossil-fuel sector. In contrast there are almost no subsidies and limited government support for the renewable sector.”?Hon SIMON BRIDGES: I share Eric Pyle’s enthusiasm for wind—not the kind I might add that the member produces. Can I say this: actually we are as excited about our renewables as we are about the non-renewables sector. Let me give you a sense of our balanced and mixed approach here. Our Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority budget for the current financial year—taxpayers’ money—is $87 million. Our New Zealand Petroleum and Minerals budget is $18 million.Gareth Hughes: Well if that is the case will he now consider shifting the $46 million in tax breaks identified to the World Wide Fund for Nature and the $25 million in seismic survey subsidies to investing in clean energy given that Petrobras is gone Apache Corporation has left the East Coast and now Anadarko has failed to find any oil?Hon SIMON BRIDGES: Momentum is building in petroleum exploration. We saw new players enter in 2012 and 2013 and I think we can be confident that through the block offer process we will see that again this year. That is good because we want to explore all of our economic opportunities. But in relation to fossil fuel subsidy reform the member might well be interested to know that we are seen at the G20 as a leader in this area. We are also through the APEC voluntary peer review mechanism the first economy to voluntarily undergo that process and we will be doing so later this year. So we actually show leadership across the board in energy.Gareth Hughes: Has the Minister received any advice regarding the International Energy Agency’s statement that we can afford to burn only 20 to 30 percent of already proven oil reserves if we want to save the climate and why is he intent on drilling for more oil deep off our coasts risking our beaches?Hon SIMON BRIDGES: Because actually a sober analysis of what is happening around the globe makes it very clear that the desire and need for energy is going up. We are seeing non-renewable use—particularly of coal—going up and finding gas which we know is present in the Great South Basin and Canterbury Basin would be a very strong force for good. It would see energy and climate emissions reducing not increasing. I think it can be part of the answer of a mixed-energy portfolio not just for New Zealand but for Asia and the world.Gareth Hughes: Has the Minister seen reports from the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics that show that the greener the industry the faster the job growth; if so why will he not be pushing for more investment in these job-rich clean-energy industries which the sector itself says are starved of attention from the Minister and the Government?Hon SIMON BRIDGES: That is simply not true. We are spending $46 million on bio-energy $7 million or thereabouts I think on the Stump to Pump project and a further several million dollars through the University of Canterbury on various renewables projects. I am very excited about those things. As I said in a speech today which I recommend to the member as it may allay some of his concerns we have a strong renewables future and I do very much see that as the future.Gareth Hughes: Has the Minister seen the PricewaterhouseCoopers report that says that New Zealand has a $22 billion annual economic opportunity in clean energy and will he support taking advantage of that now that his oil-drilling agenda has plainly failed?Hon SIMON BRIDGES: That report sounds very exciting. I think we should explore all of our opportunities. It is not a case of having to do one or the other; we can explore our coastlines for non-renewables and we can also invest and see the cleantech jobs that I know the member is so passionate about.Gareth Hughes: I seek leave to table literally thousands of submissions collected from New Zealanders asking the Government to invest in a clean energy future not risky deep-sea oil drilling.Mr SPEAKER: I am reluctant to put the leave. There is a process if a submission is received by which it is presented officially into this Parliament.