Our 2011 election manifesto - Labour Party

ENERGY
Our vision
New Zealand‟s renewable energy resources are the envy of the world. Our hydro, wind, and
geothermal resources mean we are ideally placed to build an energy system that is
affordable, sustainable, and reliable.
Labour‟s energy and climate change policies overlap in the dual need to improve energy use
and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The challenge is to transition toward a fully
sustainable energy system that weans us off greenhouse gas emitting energy sources such
as imported oil. To that end, Labour has set these goals:
● 90% of our electricity to be generated from renewable sources by 2025
● halving our per capita domestic transport emissions by 2040 (taking 2007 as the base
year)
● carbon neutrality in the whole energy sector by 2040.
Demand for oil is increasing. The time of peak conventional oil has already occurred or is
imminent. We need to be transitioning to renewable energy.
This does not mean that New Zealand should stop developing its own petroleum resources,
in a world still heavily dependent on oil. However, Labour will insist on high environmental
standards and stringent safeguards for petroleum exploration and development. This will
particularly be so in our Exclusive Economic Zone.
Renewable energy and energy efficiency make sense economically and will reduce our
greenhouse gas emissions. Initiatives Labour took when last in government included energy
and energy efficiency strategies, an Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), and an obligation to
sell biofuels.
Labour boosted wind and geothermal electricity generation. We also laid the foundations for
a sustainable transport network, especially public transport. But much more remains to be
done.
No electricity SOEs to be sold
Apart from Contact Energy (privatised by a National government), the country‟s major
electricity generators are 100% owned by the people of New Zealand as State Owned
Enterprises (SOEs). They are Genesis Energy, Meridian Energy, and Mighty River Power.
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