By Simon Court, ACT MP
If you’ve watched the northwest grow over the past few years, you’ll know one thing: growth needs energy.
More houses in Kumeu. More businesses in Huapai. Industry pushing further out of Auckland. None of it works without power that’s reliable and affordable. Right now, that’s under pressure.
We’ve seen what happens when energy policy gets it wrong. Prices rise. Supply tightens. Businesses hold back instead of hiring and expanding.
Energy doesn’t just appear. It has to be built. New Zealand has the resources, hydro, geothermal, wind, solar, gas, and coal. The issue isn’t what we have, it’s whether we can actually use it.
For years, we’ve made it harder to build. Banning offshore oil and gas exploration shut the door on future supply and sent investment elsewhere. That decision still shows up in higher prices and tighter margins for businesses today.
You can see the effect. Some large energy users are scaling back because they can’t lock in power at a price that works. That’s jobs, wages, and local investment on the line.
At the same time, projects that would add supply are slowed down or stopped altogether. Councils say they want renewable energy, then load projects with conditions that add cost and delay. Fewer projects get built, and prices stay high. That’s the problem ACT is fixing. We’ve already taken practical steps.
New National Policy Statements for infrastructure, electricity networks, and renewable energy are making it easier to get projects approved. It’s now simpler to consent new generation and connect it to the grid.
We’ve also made it clear in law that thermal generation, including gas and coal, is allowed. That keeps the system stable when renewable supply drops.
Next comes the bigger change. The RMA replacement laws will pass this term. They will cut through red and green tape and set clear limits so projects can be approved faster and with more certainty. That means more energy coming on stream sooner.
We’re also improving security of supply. The LNG import terminal will be contracted in the next few months. That gives New Zealand a back-up in dry years when hydro lakes are low. Instead of asking businesses to cut back, we’ll have a plan to keep things running.
You can already see the difference. Committing to LNG has lowered the cost of future electricity contracts, before anything is built. That’s what practical policy delivers. More supply coming on. More certainty for investors. Fewer delays getting projects off the ground.
And the result people care about is straightforward: power that’s there when you need it, at a price that doesn’t keep climbing.
ACT in Government is focused on that.
Keeping the lights on. Making it easier for businesses to grow. Taking pressure off household bills.
That’s how you build a country that works in the real world.
