By Simon Court, ACT MP
North West Auckland is booming. From Kumeu to Helensville, families are building homes, small businesses are opening their doors, and the region is fast becoming one of the most dynamic parts of New Zealand.
But with that growth comes a critical question: how are we going to power it?
Reliable, affordable energy isn’t just a ‘nice to have’ for growing communities, it’s essential. Whether you’re running a café on Commercial Road, a joinery in Huapai, or managing a subdivision in Riverhead, you need electricity that’s there when you need it and prices that don’t break the bank.
That’s why ACT in Government is fixing what matters.
We’ve scrapped Labour’s reckless ban on offshore oil and gas exploration, which was a political stunt that drove up power prices and scared off investors. It didn’t cut emissions, but it did cut energy security. ACT is restoring the confidence needed to get real projects moving again.
We’re also unleashing offshore wind and marine energy—new industries that could help power Auckland’s future, including the fast-growing North West. A new Offshore Renewable Energy Bill backed by ACT lays out a clear path for these technologies to go from concept to construction, with real investor certainty and proper environmental safeguards.
But new energy sources mean nothing if we can’t fix the system they plug into. Right now, it’s too hard to build anything, whether it’s a wind farm, a substation, or the transmission lines needed to connect them. In parts of Auckland, developers are being told they can’t build new homes because the grid can’t handle more load. That’s absurd. Growth shouldn’t be punished.
ACT is replacing the Resource Management Act with a system that prioritises common sense, not red tape. That means infrastructure gets built, not blocked. Projects that make our communities better, like modern energy systems, won’t get strangled in bureaucracy or ideology.
And we’re being honest: renewables are great, but they don’t always show up when you need them. That’s why ACT backs gas and coal as firm backup, especially in a city as spread out as Auckland. Keeping the grid stable and the bills low means having flexible options when the sun isn’t shining and the wind isn’t blowing.
North West Auckland deserves to grow with confidence. That means powering that growth with a plan that actually works. We’re not here to play politics with your power bill. We’re here to make sure your lights stay on, your business can expand, and your community keeps moving forward.
