Energy Resources Aotearoa welcomes new Climate Change Commission Chair

Energy Resources Aotearoa welcomes the Minister of Climate Change's appointment of former Governor General Rt Hon Dame Patsy Reddy as the new Chair of the Climate Change Commission.

Energy Resources Aotearoa Chief Executive John Carnegie says appointing a proven leader with a distinguished career in governance will reset the Commission’s focus to pragmatic climate solutions for New Zealand’s future.

"Dame Patsy’s considerable experience will bring a welcome commercial and legal lens to the Commission."

Carnegie says Energy Resources Aotearoa is committed to promoting policy and regulatory settings that ensure access to secure, reliable and affordable energy while reducing our net emissions.

"As convening partner of the Energy Resources Net Zero Accord, we have highlighted the sector’s strong emission reduction track record and collaborated to unlock new technologies such as carbon capture and storage (CCUS) and the uptake of torrefied black pellets and biochar.

Carnegie says it’s time for New Zealand to refocus on least-cost emissions reduction and stop one-dimensional conversations about which fuels or technologies are good or bad.

"The time for finger-pointing is in the past. We must contribute to achieving our global long-term climate goals and, in doing so, ensure we are also supporting a system where achieving prosperity is possible for all New Zealanders.

This means taking a systems-wide lens to our low-carbon journey while achieving energy security, affordability and climate resilience.

New Zealand has abundant domestic energy sources, and we need to make the most of these while investing in jobs for Kiwis and leveraging locally owned innovation, research, science and development."

Energy Resources Aotearoa and its members stand ready to support whole-of-system collaboration in the new Climate Change Commissioner’s endeavours.

"We look forward to working closely with Dame Patsy to ensure the Commission’s advice towards our 2050 climate change targets reflects a deep understanding of the energy trilemma, helping achieve climate goals while providing affordable and reliable energy for all Kiwis."