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Good morning everyone, I’m very pleased to have this opportunity to talk to you.

First, I would like to thank the leaders of your three groups for the opportunity to open this year’s gas industry forum:

Housing New Zealand’s new offices in central Christchurch have been officially opened by Housing Minister Phil Heatley.

“This is quite a milestone in the rebuild of Christchurch,” Mr Heatley said.

“It’s important the Corporation’s earthquake recovery team is located in the central city. It’s actually 12 years since the Corporation had a presence in the central city, and its return is a key part of the city’s revitalisation.

The Government's review of the October 2011 Maui gas pipeline outage and subsequent work shows that steps needed to strengthen the gas system are being taken, Energy and Resources Minister Phil Heatley said today.

Speaking at the Gas New Zealand Forum in Rotorua, Mr Heatley said that the  Maui pipeline event was a reminder of the importance of gas to the New Zealand economy.

"It was critical that the lessons learned from the outage were captured and acted on, so that gas consumers can be confident in our gas system," he said.

It’s great to see Housing New Zealand here in the inner city. Congratulations to everyone for making it happen.  There are signs of progress all around us here and that's very encouraging.

But today I’d like to talk more about the people who live here – in Christchurch and further afield, and what Housing New Zealand is doing to revitalise and rebuild houses in Canterbury.

Many thanks for inviting me to join you in marking this important milestone for Windflow Technology.

It is great to be here and it’s great to see an innovative New Zealand company take off  into the global energy market with the first wind turbine to be exported from New Zealand. 

Renewable energy is going to play an increasing role in our energy future. Our target is for 90 per cent of electricity to be generated from renewable sources by 2025. In 2011, 77 per cent of New Zealand’s electricity was renewable - beyond that of most countries.

Good morning and thank you for inviting me to your conference.  It’s a great pleasure to be able to speak to you and to tell you about the Government’s housing policy and legislative programme. 

I like the theme of “Spring into Action” you’ve chosen for this conference.  It’s a theme this Government thoroughly endorses and the busy policy and legislative programme we have shows that we are putting in place lasting reforms that will build a more productive and competitive economy.

Minister of Energy and Resources Phil Heatley has congratulated Gisborne region homeowners, charitable trusts, and insulation installers on achieving the greatest regional uptake of the Government’s Warm Up New Zealand: Heat Smart insulation programme.

“In the Gisborne region, over 25 per cent of all homes have used the insulation subsidy to install ceiling or underfloor insulation. This is the highest regional proportion of homes in the country,” Mr Heatley said at a function in Gisborne this morning.

E Nga Waka                          [Distinguished representatives]

E nga Mana                           [Esteemed guests]

A new tool to assist small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to cut their power costs by switching electricity providers is a welcome initiative, Energy and Resources Minister Phil Heatley says.

The new tool, announced yesterday, has been developed by the Electricity Authority in partnership with Switchme, and follows the successful “What’s My Number” campaign for the residential market.

Housing Minister Phil Heatley has released the Social Housing Fund Allocation Plan, setting out how the $104.1 million allocated in this year’s Budget will be spent on funding non-government housing providers over the next three years.

“This is the largest single Government investment ever made in community housing and demonstrates our determined response to the need for more social housing in New Zealand,” Mr Heatley said.

A joint economic development study has been commissioned to look at the potential for and benefits of developing an oil and gas industry on the North Island’s East Coast.

The study is a joint initiative between the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment and regional economic development agency Business Hawke’s Bay, on behalf of eight East Coast councils.

Changes to gas and electrical certification regimes mean safer outcomes for consumers, Energy and Resources Minister Phil Heatley and Building and Construction Minister Maurice Williamson said today.

The changes mean all gas and electrical installation work will now require certification.

The amended regulations will be published in the New Zealand Gazette today and are the result of a review of the regimes to ensure they provide cost-effective public safety outcomes.

A new Bill to strengthen management of Crown-owned minerals passed its first reading in Parliament today.

The Crown Minerals (Permitting and Crown Land) Bill is a key element in the Government’s commitment to promote responsible exploration and production of oil, gas and mineral resources.

“Oil, gas and minerals together contribute over $4 billion to New Zealand’s GDP each year. Crude oil is New Zealand’s fourth largest commodity export earner,” Energy and Resources Minister Phil Heatley said.

Mr Speaker, I move that the Crown Minerals (Permitting and Crown Land) Bill be now read a first time. I nominate the Commerce Committee to consider the Bill.

At the appropriate time I intend to move that the Bill be reported to the House by 30 January 2013.

This Government’s Business Growth Agenda is an ambitious programme of work that will support New Zealand businesses to grow in order to create jobs and improve New Zealanders’ standard of living.

First, I’d like to acknowledge the importance of road transport to our economy.

Our size, and the significant distances between our towns, cities and ports, mean the roading network is vital for us all.

From roofing iron and aggregate to ice-cream and i-phones, heavy vehicles (or trucks as most of us call them!), play a part in moving nearly everything we need.

The cost of freight is built into the retail price of goods, so the amount of fuel used by the heavy vehicle fleet affects everyone.

Truckies and fleet operators could each save tens of thousands of dollars every year under a new Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA) programme launched by Energy and Resources Minister Phil Heatley at Parliament today.

“Trucks transport door-to-door almost everything that is used or consumed in this country. The cost of freight makes up part of the retail price of most goods and services, so a more efficient transport fleet benefits the wider economy,” Mr Heatley said.

Over 150 households have been accommodated and moved through Canterbury’s three temporary accommodation villages since the first of them, at Kaiapoi, was set up in July last year, Housing Minister Phil Heatley said today.

“The villages, in Kaiapoi, Linwood and the latest at Rawhiti Domain, which opened in July this year, are delivering an additional 83 houses to the Christchurch housing market.

The first neighbourhood-based renewal programme in New Zealand will be formally launched in Auckland tomorrow when the Tāmaki Redevelopment Company opens its doors in the heart of Glen Innes, and chief executive Debra Lawson starts work.

“This is a first,” Housing Minister Phil Heatley says.

“Never before have all the components of a successful neighbourhood – its social life, job and business opportunities, the education of its children as well as the housing – been brought together in one programme.

Housing Minister Phil Heatley has congratulated Housing New Zealand on the smooth introduction this month of new core technology systems.

Housing NZ has replaced its outdated tenancy management system with a specialist social housing system, replaced its financial system and introduced new systems to support asset management and planning.

Mr Heatley saw the new systems in operation for himself during a visit to Housing NZ’s Manurewa office yesterday.

Energy and Resources Minister Phil Heatley has welcomed a new report on the economic benefits of future oil and gas discoveries released by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) today.

“The report responds to the question ‘What if we could develop a second Taranaki in New Zealand?’

I’m very pleased to be here tonight to recognise this important milestone and to join my colleague Hon Jo Goodhew in congratulating ESITO on the success of the ‘Women in Power’ initiative so far, and now the launch of phase two, Ultimit.

The future of the electricity sector is an exciting one.  ESITO’s role is crucial to ensuring that the sector has the skilled workers it needs to support business growth, not to mention keep powering New Zealand homes and enable our increasingly digital lifestyles.

Housing New Zealand has terminated 312 tenancies in the year to 30 June 2012 after investigations found the tenants had obtained a state house or taxpayer-subsidised rent by lying about their circumstances, Housing Minister Phil Heatley said today. The figure is up from 241 last year and 114 in 2010.

“There has been a sharp increase in the number of state tenancies ended for dishonesty over the past couple of years,” Mr Heatley said.

The 2012 Deloitte Energy Excellence Awards presented in Auckland last night were welcome recognition of excellence and achievement across the electricity, oil, gas and petroleum industries in New Zealand, Energy and Resources Minister Phil Heatley says.

“The New Zealand energy sector is an essential part of the country’s infrastructure and makes a significant contribution to the economy.

“A thriving and high-achieving energy sector is essential to a growing economy and to improve the standard of living of New Zealanders.

I’m delighted to be part of these awards tonight, to celebrate the achievements of a sector that has contributed so much over so long to New Zealand, and that will be a cornerstone of New Zealand’s economic growth.

And it’s great to see the industry stepping forward and celebrating its successes with a bit of glamour and finesse!  Well done.

These awards are a great opportunity to showcase your achievements to, and for, New Zealand, and to recognise your contributions.