No need to fear: Ministers

Govt vows gas will keep flowing to home users ‘tomorrow . . . next year . . . year after’

New Zealand has about 10 years of natural gas in reserve. But Woods said there were many more years’ worth of supply within alreadypermitted fields, notably 11-trillion cubic feet of gas believed to be held in the Barque field off the South Island. But Business NZ Energy Council executive director John Carnegie said if these fields were never commercially proven, there would be a serious risk to energy security in 10 years.

The new policy shocked some in the fossil fuel industry, and sent ripples through energyrich Taranaki. New Plymouth Mayor Neil Holdom called it a “kick in the guts”. Labour MP Andrew Little, who is based in New Plymouth, headed to the region to speak to constituents last night and Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern will go there on returning from Europe next week.

Ardern promised no jobs would be lost. The Government needed to act now to prevent an

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