DOIA 0011436 redacted document bundle Redacted 16 May 2025.pdf

Out of scope
From:
Scott Wilson
Sent:
Thursday, 19 December 2024 10:19 am
To:
Angela Parker
Subject:
RE: FYC - Any redactions in ERA's industry briefing to Minister Brown?
Attachments:
Briefing for John Carnegie's meeting with Hon Brown - 1 October 2024.pdf
Hi Angela

Has the attached pdf come through?

Cheers

Scott

From: Angela Parker 9(2)(a)

Sent: Thursday, December 19, 2024 10:17 AM
To: Scott Wilson 9(2)(a)

Subject: RE: FYC - Any redactions in ERA's industry briefing to Minister Brown?

Sorry, I didn’t receive the industry briefing – which one are you referring to?

Thanks!

From: Scott Wilson 9(2)(a)

Sent: Thursday, 19 December 2024 10:12 am
To: Angela Parker 9(2)(a)

Subject: FYC - Any redactions in ERA's industry briefing to Minister Brown?

Morning Angela

Hope you are doing wel .

I’m assessing an OIA that covers an event briefing for Minister Brown’s meeting with the ERA on 1 October.
The briefing included the attached industry briefing as an appendix.

I think the industry briefing looks ok to release but please let me know if you think any of it needs to be redacted
and why.
If possible, it would be great if you could get back to me before Christmas.

Note – the event briefing sets out the ERA’s position on CCUS. I’m assuming this is ok to release given the ERA has
agreed for its CCUS submission to be published.

Thanks

Scott Wilson
Senior Policy Advisor, Gas and Fuel Markets Policy
Released under the Official Information Act 1982
1

9(2)(a)
Level 5, Stout Street, Wel ington

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2

1 October 2024

Hon Simeon Brown
Minister of Energy
Minister of Transport

Key messages:

a  energy sector reviews are underway. While post-mortems can be
informative, they can in equal measure be a major disruption at a time when
the sector is effectively trying to find its feet after an intensively uncertain
period of years;

b  we now have some visibility of promised Crown Minerals Act reforms
and other supporting policies. The sector continues to wait to assess
whether the changes will be material enough to address the massive
sovereign risk it currently faces and alleviate the energy shortage;

c  CCUS is an integral part of the policy package for energy and climate.
But CCUS abound, and there may be high value byproducts (such as CO2)
that form part of investment decisions;

d  our joint letter to political leaders asking for bipartisanship has had a
mixed response. I would like to hear how this has been received by your
colleagues and what is happening next;

e  low emissions fuels have regulatory barriers. We encourage you to work
with your colleagues to address these; and

f  I wish to warmly invite you to our Christmas function on 11 December
and seek an indication of your willingness to attend a second joint Ministerial
breakfast in February next year.

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Since we last spoke…

1.
You have announced a review of the electricity market and a broader suite of
policy proposals for the energy sector including an energy security bill. This was in
response to the dire situation of energy shortfalls over this winter when
renewable sources of electricity generation faltered, coal usage soared, and gas
was redirected into the electricity market to keep the lights on. We welcome the
announcements.

2.
As previously discussed, fuel, infrastructure, and market structure are likely best
addressed in that order, with all three elements needing to be based on a
platform of strong competition to deliver the desired outcomes. No market
arrangement is perfect and periodic tests of fitness-for-purpose, flexibility, and
adaptability to changing circumstances and preferences can be useful health-
checks.

3.
Key to this is ensuring that all participants in the sector can invest with long term
confidence and that all unnecessary barriers to investment are removed
(regulatory, and commercial). Ultimatey New Zealand’s long term energy security
will depend on its ability to ‘firm’ intermittent and unreliable renewable energy in
ways that allow providers of that service to make an economic return in the short
periods it will be required, and diversity of fuels and technology.

4.
We urge you to be cautious with any market reviews and especially structural
reform because these risk replacing one set of market uncertainty with another, at
the very time we want electricity sector participants to be investing in new
generation as demand growth returns.

5.
We look forward to seeing the terms of reference for the review and participating
as appropriate.

Getting more gas requires urgent legislative changes

6.
Upstream producers have consistently called for urgent reform of the legislative
framework to give them regulatory certainty and help inform their investment
decisions about whether to drill for more gas, and where.

7.
We are delighted to see that the Crown Minerals Act (CMA) changes are now in the
House but will watch with interest the development of supporting measures to
address sovereign risk. We need to, again, stress how urgently these are needed.

8.
We have just narrowly avoided blackouts this winter and we have seen the
unfortunate closures of two paper mills and the proposed shutdown of one
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Methanex train. Demand response from Tiwai and Methanex will not protect us
from another dry winter situation, or a dry summer for that matter.

9.
Electrification cannot fill a sustained gap in our energy system. Electricity must
have fuel, and firming requires a high intensity fuel that can produce a lot of
energy for the grid, such as gas or coal. With demand for electricity set to increase,
small batteries or rooftop solar panels will help but are insufficient for the job.

CCUS needs to be seen as part of the policy package …

10.  Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) needs its own enabling legislation,
except for when it is a normal oilfield practice. CCUS is a vital component of the
package of incentives for further investment in gas discovery and production. Nor
is it unique or overly complex.

… and there could be value derived from byproducts

11.  CCUS forms part of the economic and environmental investment package benefits
because the avoided emissions do not incur a carbon cost, and there may be
valuable byproducts. For example, if future gas production yields a commercial
CO2 supply as a byproduct (as used to happen from refining operations at
Marsden Point), it can be used in industrial processes or as a feedstock to create
valuable products such as synthetic sustainable aviation fuel (e-SAF). While this
may incur a carbon cost to the buyer, it would add to the benefits side of the
investment equation.

12.  However, questions remain about regulatory treatment of stored carbon, and the
length of time a CCUS project owner will be responsible for ensuring the storage
solution meets the necessary standard. For example; if regulation takes a
perpetual liability approach, would-be emitters are incentivised to pay the
prevailing carbon price and effectively socialise the climate risk rather than store
the carbon, avoid the carbon cost but remain perpetually liable for it. It is
important that the incentives do not favour socialising the effects of emissions
over privatising the costs.

… but myths continue to plague CCUS even as an idea

13.  There are a number of myths that continue to perpetuate the feelings of unease
about CCUS in New Zealand. One such myth is that having a CCUS regime will
encourage more natural gas to be used. This is a spurious argument because:

a  demand and supply equations are complex. There is no causal link between the
use of a new technology and increased demand especially when substitutes are
available, such as electricity (gas is not like an iphone);
3
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b  it ignores that the increased supply (if it happens) is low carbon, a fact to be
celebrated; and

c  this argument seems to ignore the application of the ETS with its carbon price,
declining cap and waterbed effect. If net zero is the goal there should be no
concern with the volume of natural gas used, so long as the emissions are
managed.

We wrote to political leaders asking for a return to a cross party consensus to energy
policy
14.  You received a letter from a collective group of energy sector advocacy groups,
including ourselves. We have not yet heard back from the National Party.
Members of the opposition have responded, not with the response we would have
liked, but are unclear as to the National Party’s view.
15.  A return to some form of cross party consensus is integral to a long lasting and
meaningful relationship between the government and the energy sector. It will
underpin the long-term investment needed and oversee the return on investment
and any decommissioning requirements. Without it, energy security will continue
to be a political football, undermining the economy and people’s access to
affordable and reliable energy.
16.  Energy security is a key thread in the 30-year infrastructure pipeline. Standalone
projects alone won’t shift the dial. This includes new generation and the complex
networks of transmission and distribution which all need to be pre-planned and
coordinated. Seeing energy as critical national infrastructure will help overcome
the short-term vision and political challenges the sector has faced over the last
three decades.
17.  A bipartisanship approach helps avoid mistakes of the past, and of other
jurisdictions, where government flip-flops have resulted in policy uncertainty and
underinvestment, poor planning for resilience, costly back-pedalling and
expensive energy.
Transport policies reflect our wider energy system concerns
18.  You have responsibility for low emissions fuels (LEF) policies but not for the
standards and specifications that enable them, nor the climate policies that
require them to be introduced to the market. LEFs (as distinct from renewables)
will help reduce emissions while meeting our energy needs so it is important that
you work with the Associate Energy Minister and Climate Change Minister on
addressing regulatory barriers to these innovations.
4
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19.  For example, MBIE’s consultation on fuel specifications remains dormant, but
needs to be released as soon as possible so the fuel importers can contribute and,
once there is more certainty, plan their purchases and storage of LEFs.
20.  Electrification is a fuel that is best suited to light vehicles. Your planned roll out of
10,000 public EV chargers needs to be coordinated with the wider fuel resilience
work. Some government oversight over the national network is important while it
develops, as are plans for contingencies. While the fuel security study is underway
and focused on Marsden Point, we don’t want to lose sight of the wider network of
transport fuels, use-cases and options. For example, LEFs are best suited to
aviation, marine and diesel vehicles.
21.  We welcome the announcement of more detail on the Low Emissions Fuels Heavy
Vehicle (LEFHV) fund, in particular its fuel and technology agnostic approach. We
support the extension of eligibility for dual fuel hybrid vehicles as they were left
out previously. However, we would not usually support a subsidy package like this
and we look forward to the outcomes of the six month review.
Your attendance at our Christmas function is warmly welcomed
22.  I would like to invite you to attend our annual Christmas networking event on
11 December in Wellington. This is one of the energy sector’s premiere events to
showcase the year’s achievements and give our leaders an opportunity to engage
in constructive discussions with the sector. Details are
Wednesday 11 December
Panel starts at 4pm – Function from 5:30pm
Location: PwC Centre, Level 4, 10 Waterloo Quay

23.  Please respond to my events manager Cory Lunnon –
9(2)(a)
with your attendance details.
24.  Subject to your agreement to participate, our new year joint Ministerial breakfast
is again set to be an energy sector highlight. As we did this year, we will hold this in
Wellington in early February.
25.  You will receive more details well in advance with a request for you, and your
colleague the Minister of Resources, to address the audience and lay out your
respective priorities for the year.
26.  At this juncture, it would be useful to gain an understanding of your willingness to
participate in what was such a hugely successful event earlier this year.

5
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Concluding comments
27.  I welcome further discussion on these issues and can assist with making
opportunities for you to meet with industry participants who are directly affected.
28.  We look forward to further information about your energy sector review and
proposals for improving market competition.
6
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Out of scope
From:
Scott Wilson
Sent:
Thursday, 19 December 2024 10:40 am
To:
Angela Parker
Subject:
RE: FYC - Any redactions in ERA's industry briefing to Minister Brown?
Thanks Angela

You too.

I’m back before you on 3 Jan.

Cheers

Scott

From: Angela Parker 9(2)(a)

Sent: Thursday, December 19, 2024 10:35 AM
To: Scott Wilson 9(2)(a)

Subject: RE: FYC - Any redactions in ERA's industry briefing to Minister Brown?

Hi Scott

We don’t need to redact anything, thanks,

Have a lovely Christmas break! I wil be back on the 6th of January.

Angela

From: Scott Wilson 9(2)(a)

Sent: Thursday, 19 December 2024 10:19 am
To: Angela Parker 9(2)(a)

Subject: RE: FYC - Any redactions in ERA's industry briefing to Minister Brown?

Hi Angela

Has the attached pdf come through?

Cheers

Scott

From: Angela Parker 9(2)(a)

Sent: Thursday, December 19, 2024 10:17 AM
To: Scott Wilson 9(2)(a)

Subject: RE: FYC - Any redactions in ERA's industry briefing to Minister Brown?

Sorry, I didn’t receive the industry briefing – which one are you referring to?
Released under the Official Information Act 1982
1

Thanks!

From: Scott Wilson <9(2)(a)

Sent: Thursday, 19 December 2024 10:12 am
To: Angela Parker 9(2)(a)

Subject: FYC - Any redactions in ERA's industry briefing to Minister Brown?

Morning Angela

Hope you are doing wel .

I’m assessing an OIA that covers an event briefing for Minister Brown’s meeting with the ERA on 1 October.
The briefing included the attached industry briefing as an appendix.

I think the industry briefing looks ok to release but please let me know if you think any of it needs to be redacted
and why.
If possible, it would be great if you could get back to me before Christmas.

Note – the event briefing sets out the ERA’s position on CCUS. I’m assuming this is ok to release given the ERA has
agreed for its CCUS submission to be published.

Thanks

Scott Wilson
Senior Policy Advisor, Gas and Fuel Markets Policy
9(2)(a)
Level 5, Stout Street, Wel ington

Released under the Official Information Act 1982
2

Out of scope
From:
Cal um Thorpe
Sent:
Monday, 24 February 2025 8:55 am
To:
Angela Parker; Dominic Kebbel
Cc:
Craig Barry; John Carnegie
Subject:
RE: CCUS framework announcement
Hi Angela

Great to hear from you .. I will see if there is anything that is sharable .. I have shifted focus away from CCUS so
I will pass your query onto the CCS team who will be in touch

Ngā mihi

Callum

From: Angela Parker <9(2)(a)

Sent: Friday, 21 February 2025 1:49 pm
To: Dominic Kebbel  9(2)(a)
Cal um Thorpe 9(2)(a)
>
Cc: Craig Barry <9(2)(a)
John Carnegie 9(2)(a)

Subject: CCUS framework announcement

Hel o both

Congrats on ge ng to this milestone!
Carbon capture one step closer | Beehive.govt.nz

Are you in a posi on to share any more with us? Of par cular interest is whether the framework/legisla on wil  be
for CCUS, like a bespoke framework, or whether it wil  rely on RMA – we strongly support the former (having been
told by the industry that going through the RMA wil  mean it wil  not be taken up). We stressed this to the Minister
this week also.

Any detail you can share would be grateful y received,

Thanks
Angela

Angela Parker
Policy Director, Downstream Energy and Climate
Energy Resources Aotearoa

9(2)(a)

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1

Out of scope
From:
John Carnegie <9(2)(a)
Sent:
Friday, 28 February 2025 9:47 am
To:
Sharon Corbett; Justine Cannon
Cc:
Cory Lunnon
Subject:
Re: Chat about my downstream interview with the Minister [UNCLASSIFIED]
Happy to do in person. Also got Charli Swift chasing me…. So involve her??
please liaise with Cory to set up a time.
John
From: Sharon Corbett <9(2)(a)

Sent: Friday, February 28, 2025 9:42:14 AM
To: Justine Cannon 9(2)(a)
John Carnegie <9(2)(a)

Subject: RE: Chat about my downstream interview with the Minister [UNCLASSIFIED]

Thanks Justine.

John, would you have time for a teams call on Wednesday next week with me and Kasturi? I can do any time
Wednesday morning except for 10-10:30am.

Thanks

Sharon

From: Justine Cannon <9(2)(a)

Sent: Friday, 28 February 2025 9:36 am
To: John Carnegie <9(2)(a)
; Sharon Corbett <9(2)(a)

Subject: RE: Chat about my downstream interview with the Minister [UNCLASSIFIED]

Hi John, yes…Sharon will reach out and set up a time next week if that suits?

From: John Carnegie 9(2)(a)

Sent: Thursday, 27 February 2025 11:01 pm
To: Justine Cannon 9(2)(a)

Subject: Chat about my downstream interview with the Minister

Justine - someone from your team has reached out about this. Do you want to have a chat about it?
John
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1

From:                                         John Carnegie 9(2)(a)

Sent:                                           Tuesday, 4 March 2025 2:05 pm
To:                                               Jen Chenery
Subject:                                     Re: Review of electricity market performance - meeting with the Lead
Reviewers, Frontier Economics

Great thanks for that.

From: Jen Chenery 9(2)(a)

Sent: Tuesday, March 4, 2025 2:03:36 PM
To: John Carnegie 9(2)(a)

Subject: RE: Review of electricity market performance - meeting with the Lead Reviewers,
Frontier Economics

Hi John,

As Lead Reviewer, Frontier is instructing MBIE on meetings it would like us to set up on its
behalf. As part of its current series of discussions, Frontier has met, or will meet, with several of
your members: Genesis, Methanex, Todd/Nova.

Kind regards,
Jen Chenery
MBIE Support Team, Review of Electricity Market Performance

From: John Carnegie 9(2)(a)

Sent: Tuesday, 4 March 2025 10:17 am
To: Jen Chenery 9(2)(a)

Subject: Re: Review of electricity market performance - meeting with the Lead Reviewers,
Frontier Economics

Jen can you let me know if you're speaking to or have spoken to any of my upstream members -
OMV, Todd Energy (as opposed to Nova) or Beach Energy. Thanks.

From: Jen Chenery 9(2)(a)

Sent: Tuesday, March 4, 2025 10:15:12 AM
Released under the Official Information Act 1982

To: John Carnegie 9(2)(a)

Cc: Cory Lunnon 9(2)(a)

Subject: RE: Review of electricity market performance - meeting with the Lead Reviewers,
Frontier Economics

Thank you John, look forward to hearding from you Cory.

Kind regards,
Jen Chenery
MBIE Support Team, Review of Electricity Market Performance

From: John Carnegie 9(2)(a)

Sent: Tuesday, 4 March 2025 10:11 am
To: Jen Chenery 9(2)(a)

Cc: Cory Lunnon 9(2)(a)

Subject: Re: Review of electricity market performance - meeting with the Lead Reviewers,
Frontier Economics

Jen I've copied in Cory who wil help get a time for us.

Thanks for the fol ow-up.
John

From: Jen Chenery 9(2)(a)

Sent: Tuesday, March 4, 2025 10:03:52 AM
To: John Carnegie 9(2)(a)

Subject: Review of electricity market performance - meeting with the Lead Reviewers, Frontier
Economics

Dear John,

As you may know, the Minister for Energy and the Minister for Resources have initiated a Review
of the performance of electricity markets. The Review is to advise on the impact of market
structure, market design, and market rules (as set out in the Electricity Industry Participation
Code 2010) on electricity market performance, and on options to improve market performance
in terms of the Government’s objectives. The Review is required to look at whether current
regulations and market design support economic growth and access to reliable and affordable
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electricity. Government has appointed independent experts to undertake the Review, with
global consultancy Frontier Economics as the lead reviewer. Ministers have set a tight timeline
for the Review, and Frontier is working quickly to meet Government’s requirements.
As input to its review work, Frontier is gathering perspectives on the current state of the market,
future chal enges, and options to address those challenges. Danny Price and Scott Stacey from
Frontier’s Melbourne office would like to meet with you as part of gathering these perspectives.
MBIE has been asked to arrange this meeting on Frontier’s behalf. It would be held by Teams.
If you are happy to meet with Frontier, could you please indicate your availability for each of the
following meeting slots by 5pm Tuesday 4 March:
•              12:00pm to 12:45pm, Wednesday 5 March
•              1:15pm to 2:00pm, Wednesday 5 March
•              11:00am to 11:45am, Thursday 6 March
•              12:15pm to 1:00pm, Thursday 6 March
•              4:00pm to 4:45pm, Thursday 6 March
We wil  col ate availabilities and come back to you with a conﬁrmed meeting time. If none of the
above slots are workable, please let us know as soon as possible and we will endeavour to
come back to you with alternatives.
Further information about the Review, including the terms of reference set by Cabinet, can be
found on the Review website https://www.mbie.govt.nz/building-and-energy/energy-and-
natural-resources/energy-consultations-and-reviews/review-of-electricity-market-
performance.
We hope you are able to meet with Frontier and look forward to hearing from you. If you have any
questions in relation to this email, in the ﬁrst instance please contact either Victoria Coad
9(2)(a)
or Sharon Corbett 9(2)(a)
in the MBIE
team supporting Frontier with its Review work.

Kind regards,
Jen Chenery
MBIE Support Team, Review of Electricity Market Performance

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From:                                         John Carnegie 9(2)(a)

Sent:                                           Friday, 7 March 2025 6:15 pm
To:                                               Danny Price; Victoria Coad; Scott Stacey
Cc:                                               Rachel Wilson; Jen Chenery
Subject:                                     Re: Review of Electricity Market Performance - meeting with the Lead
Reviewers, Frontier Economics

9(2)(ba)(i)

John

From: Danny Price 9(2)(a)

Sent: Friday, March 7, 2025 5:48:16 PM
To: John Carnegie <[email address]>; Victoria Coad
9(2)(a)
; Scott Stacey 9(2)(a)

Cc: Rachel Wilson 9(2)(a)
; Jen Chenery
9(2)(a)

Subject: RE: Review of Electricity Market Performance - meeting with the Lead Reviewers,
Frontier Economics

Hi John

Thanks for the email 9(2)(ba)(i)

9(2)(ba)(i)

9(2)(ba)(i)

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9(2)(ba)(i)

9(2)(ba)(i)

9(2)(ba)(i)

Discuss.

Cheers

Danny Price

9(2)(a)

From: John Carnegie 9(2)(a)

Sent: Friday, 7 March 2025 1:24 PM
To: Victoria Coad 9(2)(a)
; Danny Price 9(2)(a)
9(2)(a)

Cc: Rachel Wilson 9(2)(a)
; Jen Chenery
9(2)(a)

Subject: Re: Review of Electricity Market Performance - meeting with the Lead Reviewers,
Frontier Economics

Thanks Victoria (and you too Jen).

I just had a post chat with Danny thought that I wanted to share.

First thanks for the conversation yesterday, I thought it was useful.

In terms of my thought:
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9(2)(ba)(i)

Thanks again for the chat.

John

From: Victoria Coad 9(2)(a)

Sent: Friday, March 7, 2025 1:51:02 PM
To: John Carnegie 9(2)(a)

Cc: Rachel Wilson 9(2)(a)
Danny Price 9(2)(a)
9(2)(a)
; Jen Chenery 9(2)(a)

Subject: RE: Review of Electricity Market Performance - meeting with the Lead Reviewers,
Frontier Economics

Hi John

Jen asked me to reply on her behalf as she is out of the office today.

I’ve copied Danny in this reply to you, so you have his email address.

Kind regards
Victoria Coad
Project Lead, MBIE Support Team, Review of electricity market performance

Ngā mihi

Released under the Official Information Act 1982

Victoria Coad
Principal Policy Advisor, Energy Use Policy
Energy Markets Branch
Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment | Hīkina Whakatutuki
9(2)(a)
www.mbie.govt.nz

From: John Carnegie 9(2)(a)

Sent: Thursday, 6 March 2025 6:24 pm
To: Jen Chenery 9(2)(a)

Subject: Review of Electricity Market Performance - meeting with the Lead Reviewers, Frontier
Economics

Jen can I get Danny’s contact details please. I’d like to send him a fol ow-up e-mail. Thanks.
John

From: Jen Chenery
Sent: Tuesday, March 4, 2025 12:38:29 PM
To: Jen Chenery 9(2)(a)
; John Carnegie
9(2)(a)
; Rachel Wilson 9(2)(a)

Subject: Review of Electricity Market Performance - meeting with the Lead Reviewers, Frontier
Economics
When: Thursday, 6 March 2025 11:00 am-11:45 am.
Where: Microsoft Teams Meeting

Hi John,

This is the calendar invitation for your meeting with the Lead Reviewers, Frontier Economics, to
discuss the Review of Electricity Market Performance.

Please forward meeting invite to others at your end that have not received it directly from us.

We look forward to meeting you.

Included below is a Teams link to join the meeting online.

Released under the Official Information Act 1982

Kind regards
Jen Chenery
MBIE Support Team, Review of Electricity Market Performance

________________________________________________________________________________
Out of scope

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Out of scope
From:
Sharon Corbett
Sent:
Monday, 17 March 2025 11:51 am
To:
Kasturi Sukhapure
Subject:
FW: interview questions
Attachments:
Interview Questions for Ministers at Downstream'25.docx
Got this Saturday – assume it’s the same as Ryan has forwarded on.

From: John Carnegie 9(2)(a)

Sent: Saturday, 15 March 2025 12:08 am
To: Sharon Corbett 9(2)(a)

Subject: RE: interview questions

Ok, a bit later than anticipated but if still useful, here are the draft questions for both Ministers. I have also
sent these to the Minister’s o ices (john Doorbar, jack boltar). Clearly won’t have time for all enclosed but this
hopefully gives you a sense of direction and range of topics. Hope consistent with what we discussed!

Let me know if any issues. happy to discuss and with Ministers if necessary.
John

John Carnegie
Chief Executive
Energy Resources Aotearoa
9(2)(a)

From: Sharon Corbett <9(2)(a)

Sent: Tuesday, 11 March 2025 5:08 PM
To: John Carnegie 9(2)(a)

Subject: RE: interview questions

Copy that, thanks!

From: John Carnegie <9(2)(a)

Sent: Tuesday, 11 March 2025 4:26 pm
To: Sharon Corbett 9(2)(a)

Subject: interview questions

Sharon, haven’t forgotten, just ﬁnalising these and will be able to get them to you (for both ministers) tomorrow
I hope (or maybe Friday at the latest)

John Carnegie
Chief Executive
Energy Resources Aotearoa
PO Box 25259, Wel ington 6140
9(2)(a)
W: www.energyresources.org.nz and www.energymix.co.nz

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1

Interview Questions for Ministers at Downstream ‘25
Questions for Minister Watts

Opening:
Many thanks for joining us this morning, Minister. The
theme for this conference is delivering the lowest cost
transition to customers. We’re all incredibly interested in
hearing about your plans to deliver this goal, especially since
you’re the overall steward of energy policy. I hope we hear
the thinking behind the ministerial title, and especially hope
we don’t constantly hear, “We need to wait on the outcome
of the review.” The audience is keen to hear what you think.

Questions:
Goals
 so, Minister – talking of accountability for the energy
system, let’s start with a thought experiment - project
yourself ahead ten years from now when you reflect on
your time as Energy Minister – what wil you be most
proud of having achieved?
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|P a g e | 1

 it may seem like an odd place to begin, but it helps us
establish a vision for what you’re currently doing and a
benchmark against which we can assess what you
subsequently achieve So, what does success look like?

Portfolio & policy coherence
 before delving into specifics, let's focus on the idea of
your overall accountability for the outcomes in the
energy sector and the overarching challenge of achieving
policy coherence. Many other Ministers oversee critical
portfolios that are essential for you to meet the goals
you’ve outlined – Minister Willis, the Overseas Investment
Act; Minister Bishop, the RMA; Minister Jones, the Crown
Minerals Act and fuel security; Minister van Velden,
labour laws – the list goes on including of course your
other Ministerial hat of climate change
 any one of these could jeopardise your success. How are
you managing this to ensure policy coherence?

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|P a g e | 2

GPS
 let’s talk about your approach to policy settings – your
col eague's Government Policy Statement to the
Electricity Authority indicated that the government wants
market-based solutions to market problems.
 has this thinking changed under your watch?
 wil  you remain fuel-agnostic in your approach to the
energy portfolio?

Energy prices
 let’s come back to the least cost bit of the conference
theme – admittedly, you’ve inherited a bit of a mess from
the last government, with a sector increasingly seen as
being in turmoil.
 isn’t the almost endemic cycle of underinvestment we’re
observing caused by a volatile policy environment
undermining the investment thesis, constraining supply
and putting upward pressure on prices? Or some other
reasons? If so what?
 electricity prices are increase, rising by over 6%. How do
you equate your objective with these observed prices?
Released under the Official Information Act 1982
|P a g e   |   3

What are you going to do about this and the
deindustrialisation its resulting in?
 KPIs and accountability are key tools in this
Government’s arsenal. Are you open to benchmarking
and publicly reporting on how New Zealand’s average
energy costs compare with our international
competitors?

Market Review
 let’s talk about the electricity market review – I have a few
strands I’d like to pul  on this topic
- these reviews occur with almost monotonous
regularity, broadly aligned with changes of government
(David Parker in the mid-2000s, Gerry Brownlee in 2010,
Megan Woods in 2018), none delivering substantial
change. Forgive the cynicism, but what difference wil
this review make? What do you want from this?
- wholesale electricity prices and hedge products are
certainly costly and are starting to affect residential
consumers—how can we enhance these aspects of our
system?
Released under the Official Information Act 1982
|P a g e   |   4

- is there an appetite around the Cabinet table for
significant market intervention to achieve the purpose
of the review? Given recent comments from other
Ministers, has the political calculus shifted in favour of
intervention?
- how do you as Minister think about this — what
red/amber lights on the dashboard would send you
back to the tool belt for something more aggressive?
Another industrial closure? Two?
- significant market intervention wil  likely decrease
investor confidence in building new generation. Could it
have the perverse effect of stifling increased renewable
generation?
 what are your thoughts about the proposals from the
Competition Taskforce for virtual disaggregation and
mandatory trading of gentailer hedges, even if only as a
backstop measure, to bring down electricity prices?
 do you buy into the idea that the generators are actively
withholding new generation to elevate prices?
 can you point us to  any examples you have observed
from overseas electricity markets that il ustrate the
Released under the Official Information Act 1982
|P a g e   |   5

potentially disastrous impacts of over zealous policy
intervention? How might we avoid that in New Zealand
while getting the level of intervention just right?
 is it possible that we’re not seeing the necessary
investment because of the endless cacophony of policy
twists and turns?

Energy security
 are you worried about the natural gas situation? The
market seems extremely worried about this and you
have spoken about the problem of the time it takes to
get things through a policy process – how can this
problem be overcome? Is this a case of the swan
graceful y gliding across the pond but its legs are going
like hel , or is policy progress just glacial?
 are you satisfied that we seem to be doing the reverse of
what everyone else worldwide is doing – and switching
from natural gas to coal to underpin our electricity
system?
Released under the Official Information Act 1982
|P a g e | 6

 what do we do in the absence of more natural gas
coming to market? What’s the role of
LNG/biomass/biomethane/hydrogen etc
 if you had to choose between an energy system that is
secure and affordable and one that is lower emissions,
which would you choose?
 what do you make of proposals to build a trans-Tasman
electricity connection with Australia [Taslink]? Another
Onslow, or something we can get behind?

Demand response
 talking of doing the reverse of everyone else, and related
to maintaining energy security - lets talk about demand
response. Is this just a fancy phrase for managed
blackouts, a tax on NZ’s productivity? Are you happy that
we seem to be running our energy system on a winter-to-
winter basis?
 two of our major exporters continue to curtail their
operations to ensure NZ has enough energy for winter.
Surely you can’t be happy overseeing a system that talks
Released under the Official Information Act 1982
|P a g e | 7

of demand response as a triumph yet stil  delivers
$800MWh prices?
 there is a positive side of demand response – should we,
and how can we reward consumers for distributed
energy resources? Do you have a view on EV smart
charging and shifting ToU? Hot water control?
 what’s the role you see for energy efficiency?

Our Market Regulators
 do you think our regulators are fit for purpose? For
example, should the Electricity Authority remain a
standalone entity?
 do you agree with your ministerial col eague's
assessment that it’s a chocolate teapot?
 what about a Ministry of Energy?

Energy strategy
 let’s talk about an energy strategy. Proponents see these
as somehow helping, particularly when it picks their fuel
or technology. I’ve been around long enough to see them
Released under the Official Information Act 1982
|P a g e   |   8

come and go, not lasting a government, let alone political
cycles. Are you going to do one?
- what role do you see in iwi and regional stakeholders in
shaping a future energy system?
- what would make it any different to previous iterations?
To make a difference, it needs to be bipartisan.
- what about this Chris Hipkins quote
“And what about the government’s choice to reopen oil and gas dril ing
instead of seizing the opportunity to lower people’s energy bil s and
create jobs by investing to upgrade our homes and businesses to run
on clean energy."
 doesn’t that kil  off any hope for bipartisan energy
strategy? What’s your plan B do you have one?

Skills
 once again we seem to be on the losing end of the brain
drain, losing our best and brightest economists,
operators, and engineers to Australia and further afield.
These are the very people we need to help you revitalise
our oil and gas sector and shift into new opportunities in
developing carbon capture and storage, geothermal,
hydrogen and biomass etc. Is this a risk?
Released under the Official Information Act 1982
|P a g e   |   9

Interview Questions for Ministers at Downstream ‘25
Questions for Minister Jones
Opening:
Welcome, Minister, and thank you for joining us as we
head towards the end the first day of Downstream.
The theme for this conference is delivering the lowest cost
transition to customer. Over the next 30 minutes or so, I'd
like to explore your roles in achieving this, both from the
perspective of the Minister of Resources and the Associate
Minister of Energy.

Overview
 but before getting into the details, let’s stand back for a
moment and take a helicopter view - I would like to ask
you how you perceive the current energy system in
New Zealand. Do you think it is serving the country wel ,
and if not, why not?
 what does the phrase ‘energy transition’ mean to you?
Should we even care about it when we struggle to keep
the lights on?
 given that, what does success look like from your
perspective?
Released under the Official Information Act 1982
P a g e | 1

Minerals & Petroleum
 ok, let’s talk minerals and petroleum. Why are you such
a passionate champion of our mineral and petroleum
resources?
 what’s going on with delivering on the government
commitment to reverse the oil and gas ban? Here we
are nearly half-way through this term of government.
Have officials not grasped the need for urgency? What’s
the delay?
 why bother? Aren’t they yesterday’s sources of energy?
 wil anyone ever return to NZ and seriously invest in our
minerals and petroleum sectors?
 over the past year, you've talked about sovereign risk
and the need to protect investors so that their
investments are kept whole. You’ve floated plenty of
ideas – long term contracts with the crown and more
recently the crown taking an equity share in new
permits. What does this look like, and what progress
has been made? Importantly, what success are you
having convincing your Ministerial col eagues?
 do your Ministerial col eagues understand that
sovereign risk applies to any investment in fossil fuel
Released under the Official Information Act 1982
|P a g e | 2

related infrastructure – gas fired power stations, LNG as
wel  as oil and gas fields?
 what’s plan B if its already too late to revive the
domestic gas sector? LNG? Endemic high power prices
and more factory closures?

Fuel security
 let’s shift gears to one of your delegated areas of
responsibility wearing your Associate Energy portfolio
hat - fuel security. How much risk do you think we bear
from importing our refined fuels?
 what’s it worth to us as a sovereign nation to insure
against this risk?
 we know additional fuel storage wil  incur costs for the
public, either via general taxation or passing through
the costs to fuel users. What do you think is an
acceptable level of increase per litre for this additional
security? 1c? 4c? More?
 Scotland has recently announced the closure of their
only refinery, adding to the long list of smaller refinery
closures that cannot compete. Why would NZ buck the
trend and restart a refining business when it is not
Released under the Official Information Act 1982
|P a g e   |   3

economic to do so? And if you do support it, who
should pay?

Special economic zones
 Can you explain these to the audience? What are they,
what purpose might they serve?
 Given the precarious state of our overall energy system,
why should we pick out a specific area for special
treatment and not the entire country? Or even
Taranaki?
 are you thinking about this as a tool more broadly?
You’re clearly thinking about Marsden Pt, but I suspect
there’s an appetite in government to use it more widely
- LNG? Seasonal worker wages/conditions for orchard
regions? Where else?
 you were at the investment summit last week spruiking
New Zealand as a place to invest and do business, can I
ask about foreign direct investment and how that
reconciles with NZ First’s philosophy:
“implement policies such as a ‘National Interest Test’ to keep key
strategic assets and New Zealand farmland in New Zealand hands”

Released under the Official Information Act 1982
|P a g e | 4

The electricity sector
 ok, I’ve held off long enough. While not your portfolio
area, you most certainly have a perspective, so let’s talk
about the electricity market; you’re no fan of it. Do you
think it serves consumers, both residential and
industrial?
 Before getting into the market review, the consensus is
that market intervention under last Government ‘swung
the pendulum’, with dire economic/industry
consequences, is it your view that a return to neutral is
best or to push hard in the opposite direction? There
seem to be two world views:
- position A: the medicine could be worse than the
disease if we intervene to correct for previous
intervention. Long term we need to just keep settings
stable and try to encourage the other side to do the
same (this seems to describe the government’s almost
deliberate non-response to the industrial closures last
year); or
- position B: we are in a global world where we’re
seemingly the only ones currently playing the ‘market
purist’ game. We can’t export ideological purity.
Released under the Official Information Act 1982
|P a g e | 5

International capital is looking at us, and asking: if you
won’t subsidise, won’t support, what does NZ offer
besides a nice view?
- where do you land?

Market Review
 what are you hoping the MBIE/Frontier review wil
deliver?
 what if it offers something else?
 you’ve made no secret that you’d like to see the settings
change for gentailers. What are you thinking, and how
do you see those changes benefitting New Zealand and
New Zealand consumers in terms of lower power bil s?

Market institutions
 you’ve got a clear position on the formation of an
energy ministry. If an energy ministry is the answer can
you please outline the question. What’s the why? Are
the issues deeper than structural form?
 you’ve been fairly trenchant in your criticism of the
market regulator. Do you stil  stand-by your chocolate
teapot comment? Would you combine regulators?
Released under the Official Information Act 1982
|P a g e   |   6

Choices and trade-offs
 how in your view should we deal with some of the
complex trade-offs we face in the energy sector -
offshore wind vs. ironsands / Trans-Tasman electricity
link / demand response and turning off industrials to
keep the lights on / natural gas vs. coal – how do you
think about these?
 if you could make two significant changes to the energy
system, what would they be?

Released under the Official Information Act 1982
|P a g e | 7

Out of scope
From:
Ryan Gray
Sent:
Monday, 17 March 2025 10:26 am
To:
Kasturi Sukhapure; Sharon Corbett
Subject:
FW: Downstream [UNCLASSIFIED]
Attachments:
Interview Questions for Minister Watts at Downstream'25.docx
Importance:
Low
FYI only.

I believe BRIEFING-REQ-0010228 covers these.

Ryan Gray (he/him)
SENIOR COMMUNICATIONS ADVISOR
Strategy and Assurance Group
Ministry of Business, Innova on & Employment
9(2)(a)

From: Nicole Crawford <[email address]>
Sent: Monday, 17 March 2025 10:20 AM
To: Ryan Gray 9(2)(a)
Nora Maarleveld 9(2)(a)
Charli Swift
9(2)(a)

Cc: Kathryn Rush 9(2)(a)
; Peter Southey-Jensen (Parliament) 9(2)(a)

Subject: FW: Downstream

Hi all,

We received these questions from John. It has already gone to MBIE – assuming we will receive reactive lines?

Thanks,
Nicole Crawford
Press Secretary | Office of Hon. Simon Watts
Minister of Climate Change | Minister for Energy
Minister of Local Government | Minister of Revenue

M: + 64 21 836 513
E: [email address]
Parliament Buildings, Wel ington 6160, New Zealand

From: John Carnegie 9(2)(a)

Sent: Saturday, 15 March 2025 12:01 AM
To: Jack Boltar <9(2)(a)
; Nicole Crawford <[email address]>
Subject: Downstream

Jack/Nicole - have also sent to MBIE as I presume someone will be doing a brieﬁng. Won’t have time for all
enclosed but this hopefully gives you a sense of direction and range of topics.

Let me know if any issues. happy to discuss and with Minister if necessary.
John
Released under the Official Information Act 1982
1

Interview Questions for Ministers at Downstream ‘25
Questions for Minister Watts

Opening:
Many thanks for joining us this morning, Minister. The
theme for this conference is delivering the lowest cost
transition to customers. We’re all incredibly interested in
hearing about your plans to deliver this goal, especially
since you’re the overall steward of energy policy. I hope we
hear the thinking behind the ministerial title, and
especially hope we don’t constantly hear, “We need to wait
on the outcome of the review.” The audience is keen to
hear what you think.

Questions:
Goals
 so, Minister – talking of accountability for the energy
system, let’s start with a thought experiment - project
yourself ahead ten years from now when you reflect on
your time as Energy Minister – what wil you be most
proud of having achieved?
Released under the Official Information Act 1982
P a g e | 1

 it may seem like an odd place to begin, but it helps us
establish a vision for what you’re currently doing and a
benchmark against which we can assess what you
subsequently achieve So, what does success look like?

Portfolio & policy coherence
 before delving into specifics, let's focus on the idea of
your overall accountability for the outcomes in the
energy sector and the overarching challenge of
achieving policy coherence. Many other Ministers
oversee critical portfolios that are essential for you to
meet the goals you’ve outlined – Minister Wil is, the
Overseas Investment Act; Minister Bishop, the RMA;
Minister Jones, the Crown Minerals Act and fuel
security; Minister van Velden, labour laws – the list goes
on including of course your other Ministerial hat of
climate change
 any one of these could jeopardise your success. How
are you managing this to ensure policy coherence?

Released under the Official Information Act 1982
|P a g e | 2

GPS
 let’s talk about your approach to policy settings – your
col eague's Government Policy Statement to the
Electricity Authority indicated that the government
wants market-based solutions to market problems.
 has this thinking changed under your watch?
 wil  you remain fuel-agnostic in your approach to the
energy portfolio?

Energy prices
 let’s come back to the least cost bit of the conference
theme – admittedly, you’ve inherited a bit of a mess
from the last government, with a sector increasingly
seen as being in turmoil.
 isn’t the almost endemic cycle of underinvestment
we’re observing caused by a volatile policy environment
undermining the investment thesis, constraining supply
and putting upward pressure on prices? Or some other
reasons? If so what?
 electricity prices are increase, rising by over 6%. How do
you equate your objective with these observed prices?
Released under the Official Information Act 1982
|P a g e   |   3

What are you going to do about this and the
deindustrialisation its resulting in?
 KPIs and accountability are key tools in this
Government’s arsenal. Are you open to benchmarking
and publicly reporting on how New Zealand’s average
energy costs compare with our international
competitors?

Market Review
 let’s talk about the electricity market review – I have a
few strands I’d like to pul  on this topic
- these reviews occur with almost monotonous
regularity, broadly aligned with changes of
government (David Parker in the mid-2000s, Gerry
Brownlee in 2010, Megan Woods in 2018), none
delivering substantial change. Forgive the cynicism,
but what difference wil  this review make? What do
you want from this?
- wholesale electricity prices and hedge products are
certainly costly and are starting to affect residential
consumers—how can we enhance these aspects of
our system?
Released under the Official Information Act 1982
|P a g e   |   4

- is there an appetite around the Cabinet table for
significant market intervention to achieve the purpose
of the review? Given recent comments from other
Ministers, has the political calculus shifted in favour of
intervention?
- how do you as Minister think about this — what
red/amber lights on the dashboard would send you
back to the tool belt for something more aggressive?
Another industrial closure? Two?
- significant market intervention wil  likely decrease
investor confidence in building new generation. Could
it have the perverse effect of stifling increased
renewable generation?
 what are your thoughts about the proposals from the
Competition Taskforce for virtual disaggregation and
mandatory trading of gentailer hedges, even if only as a
backstop measure, to bring down electricity prices?
 do you buy into the idea that the generators are
actively withholding new generation to elevate prices?
 can you point us to  any examples you have observed
from overseas electricity markets that il ustrate the
Released under the Official Information Act 1982
|P a g e   |   5

potentially disastrous impacts of over zealous policy
intervention? How might we avoid that in New Zealand
while getting the level of intervention just right?
 is it possible that we’re not seeing the necessary
investment because of the endless cacophony of policy
twists and turns?

Energy security
 are you worried about the natural gas situation? The
market seems extremely worried about this and you
have spoken about the problem of the time it takes to
get things through a policy process – how can this
problem be overcome? Is this a case of the swan
graceful y gliding across the pond but its legs are going
like hel , or is policy progress just glacial?
 are you satisfied that we seem to be doing the reverse
of what everyone else worldwide is doing – and
switching from natural gas to coal to underpin our
electricity system?
Released under the Official Information Act 1982
|P a g e   |   6

 what do we do in the absence of more natural gas
coming to market? What’s the role of
LNG/biomass/biomethane/hydrogen etc
 if you had to choose between an energy system that is
secure and affordable and one that is lower emissions,
which would you choose?
 what do you make of proposals to build a trans-Tasman
electricity connection with Australia [Taslink]? Another
Onslow, or something we can get behind?

Demand response
 talking of doing the reverse of everyone else, and
related to maintaining energy security - lets talk about
demand response. Is this just a fancy phrase for
managed blackouts, a tax on NZ’s productivity? Are you
happy that we seem to be running our energy system
on a winter-to-winter basis?
 two of our major exporters continue to curtail their
operations to ensure NZ has enough energy for winter.
Surely you can’t be happy overseeing a system that
talks of demand response as a triumph yet stil  delivers
$800MWh prices?
Released under the Official Information Act 1982
|P a g e   |   7

 there is a positive side of demand response – should
we, and how can we reward consumers for distributed
energy resources? Do you have a view on EV smart
charging and shifting ToU? Hot water control?
 what’s the role you see for energy efficiency?

Our Market Regulators
 do you think our regulators are fit for purpose? For
example, should the Electricity Authority remain a
standalone entity?
 do you agree with your ministerial col eague's
assessment that it’s a chocolate teapot?
 what about a Ministry of Energy?

Energy strategy
 let’s talk about an energy strategy. Proponents see
these as somehow helping, particularly when it picks
their fuel or technology. I’ve been around long enough
to see them come and go, not lasting a government, let
alone political cycles. Are you going to do one?
- what role do you see in iwi and regional stakeholders
in shaping a future energy system?
Released under the Official Information Act 1982
|P a g e   |   8

- what would make it any different to previous
iterations? To make a difference, it needs to be
bipartisan.
- what about this Chris Hipkins quote
“And what about the government’s choice to reopen oil and gas
dril ing instead of seizing the opportunity to lower people’s energy
bil s and create jobs by investing to upgrade our homes and
businesses to run on clean energy."
doesn’t that kil  off any hope for bipartisan energy
strategy? What’s your plan B do you have one?

Skills
  once again we seem to be on the losing end of the
brain drain, losing our best and brightest economists,
operators, and engineers to Australia and further afield.
These are the very people we need to help you
revitalise our oil and gas sector and shift into new
opportunities in developing carbon capture and
storage, geothermal, hydrogen and biomass etc. Is this
a risk?
Released under the Official Information Act 1982
|P a g e   |   9

Out of scope
Subject:
MBIE/ERA re Downstream Interview
Location:
MEET WLG STOUT G.12 (4)
Start:
Wed 5/03/2025 11:30 am
End:
Wed 5/03/2025 12:15 pm
Recurrence:
(none)
Meeting Status:
Not yet responded
Organizer:
Sharon Corbett

________________________________________________________________________________
Microsoft Teams Need help?
Out of scope

Released under the Official Information Act 1982
1

Out of scope
From:
Charli Swift
Sent:
Wednesday, 5 March 2025 2:50 pm
To:
Sharon Corbett; Kasturi Sukhapure
Cc:
Becky Kraakman; Ryan Gray
Subject:
Downstream notes [UNCLASSIFIED]
Hopefully I captured everything correctly. Reminder I am on leave the next couple of days so will be good to
review the content on Monday! CC’ing in Ryan and Becky for their awareness and if you need anything in the
meantime

Conﬁrming John said he is happy to share the ﬁnal questions once they’re done? @Kasturi will you share this
with Resources policy or do you want me to?

Minister Jones
  Will try and focus on the upstream work eg minerals, resources
  Oil and gas
  Fuel security and reopening the reﬁnery
  Special economic zones eg energy precincts

Minister Watts
  Contextualise – sector in ‘turmoil’?
  Role as the steward of policy settings eg overall accountability and how energy ﬁts in with other
portfolios (fuel, transport, investment etc.)
  Project us 10 years into the future – what’s the vision for energy, what do you want to achieve? And how
do you plan to get there?
  Expectations of the electricity market review – is there appetite for signiﬁcant market intervention?
  Thoughts on emissions reductions?
  GPS messaging and responsibility on the sector
  Consumers – wanted a good question on this, how are you empowering consumers?
  Sector wants to hear continuity and ‘uncomfortable truths’ – ‘invest, innovate, compete’ and be really
clear on the role of government

Ngā mihi,

Charli Swift
PRINCIPAL COMMUNICATIONS ADVISOR

Building, Resources and Markets group | Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment
Level 4, 15 Stout Street, PO Box 6140, Wel ington 6011, New Zealand
9(2)(a)
Released under the Official Information Act 1982
1

Out of scope
From:
Bhagee Ramanathan
Sent:
Tuesday, 18 March 2025 11:08 am
To:
9(2)(a)
Cc:
Gabby Rocha; Amelie Goldberg; Hannah Overton-Holmes
Subject:
Woody bioenergy [IN-CONFIDENCE: RELEASE-EXTERNAL]
Kia ora John

9(2)(f)(iv)

Please let us know when you (and any colleagues you may wish to invite) are available for a short meeting in
the next two weeks and we can send video link invitations.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Ngā mihi nui
Bhagee Ramanathan

Bhagee Ramanathan (pronouns: she/her)
PRINCIPAL POLICY ADVISOR | KAITĀTARI KAUPAPA
Energy Use Policy | Building, Resources and Markets
9(2)(a)

Released under the Official Information Act 1982
1

From:                                         Jen Chenery
Sent:                                           Thursday, 20 March 2025 6:37 pm
To:                                            9(2)(a)
Cc:                                               Victoria Coad
Subject:                                     Review of Electricity Market Performance - attached letter from
Frontier
Attachments:                          Letter to Energy Resources Aotearoa March 2025.pdf

Dear John

Please ﬁnd attached a letter from Frontier Economics to express their thanks for taking time to
meet with them recently as Lead Reviewer for the Review of Electricity Market Performance.

Many thanks from us here at MBIE as well.

Information about the Review can be found here. If you have any questions, in the ﬁrst instance
please contact either Victoria Coad 9(2)(a)
or Sharon Corbett
9(2)(a)

Kind regards
Jen Chenery
MBIE Support Team, Review of Electricity Market Performance

Released under the Official Information Act 1982

20 March 2025

Energy Resources Aotearoa
By email:

Dear John

RE: Review of New Zealand Electricity Market

Thank you for meeting with us recently and sharing your insights on the current state of the
market, future challenges, and potential solutions for our review of the New Zealand electricity
market. These insights have been a valuable contribution to our ongoing analysis of the
electricity market in New Zealand.
We are now in the phase of developing options that address the issues we have identified. This
phase involves drawing on our international experience to develop a range of options that are
likely to be effective in addressing the issues over time and then narrowing these options to
provide a targeted response for the Ministers to consider.
If we need any further information from your organisation, we will contact you through the
Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment.
Your sincerely,

Danny Price
Managing Director

Ground Floor
395 Collins Street
Melbourne
Melbourne VIC 3000 Australia
Sydney
ABN 13 087 553 124
Brisbane
Tel: +61 3 9620 4488
Singapore
Released under the Official Information Act 1982
frontier-economics.com.au