Petroleum Conference Opens tomorrow in New Plymouth

The 2017 New Zealand Petroleum Conference opens tomorrow in New Plymouth, the first time the Conference has been hosted in Taranaki.

Petroleum Exploration and Production Association of New Zealand (PEPANZ) Chief Executive Cameron Madgwick says it is fantastic to be bringing New Zealand’s premier upstream petroleum conference to Taranaki, the home of New Zealand’s oil and gas industry.

“The industry has a long history in Taranaki – with the first well in the British Empire drilled at Moturoa, on the New Plymouth foreshore in 1865,” says Mr Madgwick.

“Since that time, the oil and gas industry has gone from strength to strength in the region.

“Today oil and gas accounts for 41 percent of Taranaki’s regional GDP, provides two percent of the region’s employment and is one of the reasons Taranaki has the highest regional GDP in the country.

“Across the country, over 11,000 people are employed directly as a result of Taranaki’s oil and gas resources. Oil is one of the country’s top ten export earners, gas is used extensively as a primary energy source, and the royalties and taxes from the industry fund a wide range of essential government services and infrastructure,” says Mr Madgwick.

Over 400 delegates from across New Zealand and around the world will be gathering in New Plymouth  over the next two days to hear from international experts, industry leaders and politicians about the future of the oil and gas industry in New Zealand.

“Delegates will hear about both about the opportunities and challenges that exist within New Zealand’s oil and gas industry, what steps can be taken to grow the industry and what its future is in a world working to reduce carbon emissions and mitigate the impact of climate change.”

Mr Madgwick says the industry is committed to being open and transparent.

“We know we haven’t always done the best job at explaining how the industry operates to New Zealanders and are committed to changing that.

“Earlier this month, we launched www.energymix.co.nz, which aims to better explain how the oil and gas sector operates in New Zealand.