Judge policy on its merits

Labour MP Clayton Cosgrove in mid-2003 asked a Parliamentary question about petroleum exploration. He wasn’t aiming to embarrass his own government. It was a patsy question about bids received for the Canterbury basin petroleum exploration blocks. Harry Duynhoven, then the Associate Minister of Energy, said the Government had received quality bids from four explorers in the latest permit bidding round. A bidding round over 17 blocks in offshore Taranaki, north Taranaki, and onshore in Taranaki had been announced and the deep-water Taranaki basin bidding round was also open for tender.

The Government regarded this as good news. Before Labour was defeated in 2008, a newspaper article on oil exploration was asking if Invercargill could become the Aberdeen of the south. It also credited Mr Duynhoven with attracting big international players by dangling tax incentives and reducing royalties. Safety concerns related to explorers operating in rough seas, not the environment.

Labour leader David Cunliffe is complaining about new rules that deny Kiwis their rights to have a say on exploratory drilling off their local beaches. Environment Minister Amy Adams countered that Mr Cunliffe was a minister in the previous government and is rewriting history on oil and gas exploration. He should know 36 wells were drilled in New Zealand’s Exclusive Economic Zone between 1999 and 2008 with no legislation in place to protect the environment and no public involvement in the exploratory drilling process. Her Government, on the other hand, requires the Environmental Protection Authority to undertake assessments.

Whether this strikes the ideal balance between economic development and environmental protection is the real issue, and Mr Cunliffe says a Labour government would ensure all consents, aside from minor variations, were notified. It would ensure there were full environmental cleanup plans and guarantee industry was fully liable for any adverse impacts before any consent is even considered.

Mr Cunliffe’s recollection of the recent past perhaps raises questions about his memory, his credibility or both. More important, however, is which party has the better exploration policy.