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Energy and Resources Minister Simon Bridges today announced a new appointment and two reappointments to the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA) Board.

David Coull has been appointed as a member of the Board, while Marion Cowden has been reappointed Deputy Chair and Mervyn English has been reappointed as a member.

“The appointments will ensure the Board maintains its strong governance and strategic capability,” says Mr Bridges.

Your Excellency Michael Potts, Australia’s High Commissioner to New Zealand;

Your Excellency Peter Chan, Singapore’s High Commissioner to New Zealand.

Ladies and gentlemen.

Good morning.

As Minister of Energy and Resources, it’s my pleasure to welcome and host you here in Parliament this morning to award permits for the Government’s second annual Block Offer.

Many of you were in Auckland earlier this year when I announced the areas available for competitive bidding in Block Offer 2013.

Energy and Resources Minister Simon Bridges today announced the award of ten new oil and gas exploration permits as a result of Block Offer 2013.

The permits include five onshore permits across Taranaki and the East Coast and five offshore permits across the Reinga-Northland, Taranaki, and Great South-Canterbury Basins.

Economic Development Minister Steven Joyce and Energy and Resources Minister Simon Bridges have welcomed the Environment Court’s decision to grant resource consents to Bathurst Resources for their Escarpment Mine on the West Coast of the South Island.

“The Escarpment Mine and associated works are expected to create 225 direct jobs and approximately $85 million each year will go to employees, suppliers, contractors and transport providers,” Mr Bridges says.

Defence Minister Jonathan Coleman and Energy and Resources Minister Simon Bridges welcome the start of operations to re-enter Pike River Coal Mine’s main tunnel up to the rock fall.

“The Government has been working closely with Solid Energy to ensure the re-entry plan can be safely carried out. Safety is paramount, and the project will be carefully managed with a risk assessment undertaken at each stage,” says Mr Bridges.

235,000 homes have been insulated under the Government’s Warm Up New Zealand: Heat Smart programme, well above the original target set.

“When the Government launched the programme in 2009 to help make Kiwi homes warmer, drier and healthier, we had a target of 188,500 insulated by 2013,” says Energy and Resources Minister Simon Bridges.

“The programme has seen 235,000 homes insulated, directly improving the living conditions of many thousands of New Zealanders.  This is a resounding success.”

Good morning everyone, it’s great to be here and to have the opportunity to speak to you all.

From the discovery of the Kapuni gas field in 1959, and then the much larger Maui field in 1969, the oil and gas industry has played a significant role in New Zealand’s economic development – as an energy source for industry and households, an input into the chemicals industry and as a valuable export in its own right.

In fact, crude oil is our fourth largest export after dairy, meat and wood.  It contributes more than $2.5 billion to our GDP each year.

Energy and Resources Minister Simon Bridges today announced the start of the Block Offer 2014 process for awarding oil and gas exploration permits.

“Consultation now begins with iwi and local authorities in the areas being proposed for onshore and offshore exploration,” says Mr Bridges.

“This is an important first step in the Block Offer process and I encourage iwi and local authorities to take part.  Their feedback ensures that any areas of sensitivity are carefully considered before the 2014 tender round is finalised.”

The petroleum and minerals sector generates $333 per hour worked, making it the most productive in the New Zealand economy, a new Government report shows.

The Petroleum and Minerals Sector Report was today released in Wellington by Economic Development Minister Steven Joyce and Energy and Resources Minister Simon Bridges.

The report notes that in the last six years New Zealand has seen:

The Government has approved conditional funding of a staged plan to re-enter and explore the main tunnel leading up to the rock fall at the Pike River Coal Mine, Energy and Resources Minister Simon Bridges has announced.

The decision follows approval in principle of the re-entry plan risk assessment by the Solid Energy Board.

Mr Bridges said the Government will fund the estimated cost of the plan, at $7.2 million.

It’s a pleasure to be here at your conference and to have the opportunity to speak to you all.

The minerals industry has traditionally played – and continues to play – an essential role in the New Zealand economy.

Our country’s abundance of natural resources provides unique opportunities for growth that ultimately benefit all New Zealanders.

Energy and Resources Minister Simon Bridges today joined in celebrations in Reefton to mark the town switching on the lights 125 years ago.

“The story of electricity generation on the West Coast deserves celebrating because Reefton was the first town in the Southern Hemisphere to have a public electricity supply,” said Mr Bridges.

“Just a few years after Thomas Edison’s company was lighting the streets of New York, the Reefton hydro-electric power station was supplying electricity directly into local homes. This was an amazing achievement.

It’s a pleasure to be here at the West Coast Minerals Forum and to have the opportunity to speak to you all.

Since becoming Energy and Resources Minister in January, I have spent a lot of time talking about ‘opportunity’ – the opportunity that can be realised from developing our resource potential.

And New Zealand has never been a better place to explore.

We are recognised as one of the world’s most promising regions, but we remain relatively unexplored.

Energy and Resources Minister Simon Bridges has welcomed today’s Environment Court decision to grant consents for what could be the largest wind farm project in New Zealand.

Genesis Energy’s Castle Hill project allows for 286 turbines, generating up to 860 megawatts of renewable electricity in an area north of Masterton and east of Eketahuna. This would be enough to power around 370,000 homes.

New minerals exploration permits awarded today will help create jobs and lift the Northland economy, Energy and Resources Minister Simon Bridges says.

Five permits have been offered to three companies – Tai Tokerau Minerals Limited, Waimatenui Exploration Limited and De Grey Mining Limited – as a result of the Northland 2012 tender which sought interest in exploring for metallic minerals in the region.

A new energy rating scheme launched today could help lift energy efficiency in New Zealand commercial buildings by as much as 25 percent, says Energy and Resources Minister Simon Bridges.

Speaking at the launch of NABERSNZ, Mr Bridges said the voluntary rating system aims to transform the way office buildings use energy.

“Commercial buildings use 21 percent of New Zealand’s electricity, costing business $800 million every year.  On average, building energy performance could be improved by 20-25 percent,” says Mr Bridges.

Energy Minister Simon Bridges has welcomed the upgrade of the high-voltage Cook Strait electricity link between the North and South Islands.

The $672 million project, known as Pole 3, allows up to one thousand megawatts to be transmitted between the islands – increasing capacity by about a third. It will replace the 47-year old Pole 1 equipment.

“Pole 3 is a key part of the national electricity transmission grid which will help ensure New Zealand makes the best use of its energy resources throughout the country,” says Mr Bridges.

Mr Chairman, ladies and gentlemen,

I thank the Nikkei Forum for their invitation - it is great to be part of such a wide-ranging discussion on the future of Asia. And it is a special pleasure to be back in Japan at this particular time.

It is almost three years since my last visit. A lot has changed. Japan, like my own country, has suffered a huge natural disaster but is now well into the recovery phase. Japan has a new government. And the Nikkei Index is back to its pre-crash level.

But I want to start with the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

The decision today by Conservation Minister Nick Smith to approve the access agreement for Bathurst Resources’ Escarpment Mine near Westport is good news for jobs and economic growth on the West Coast, Economic Development Minister Steven Joyce and Energy and Resources Minister Simon Bridges say.

The announcement follows an interim decision by the Environment Court in March that it was likely to grant resource consent to the open-cast mine subject to appropriate conditions being agreed.

The Government has further progressed the Pike River Implementation Plan with the release of a discussion document on a new regulatory regime for the mining sector.

Labour and Energy and Resources Minister Simon Bridges says the discussion document proposes significant changes to health and safety regulation in New Zealand’s mining industry.

Energy and Resources and Labour Minister Simon Bridges leaves for Japan today where he will address the annual Nikkei Forum and meet with business and political leaders.

Mr Bridges has been invited to speak at the Nikkei conference in Tokyo on the theme “Exploring New Partnerships between Asia and the World.”

“Asia is an important and growing export and investment partner for New Zealand and I welcome this opportunity to meet ASEAN leaders and build on our relationships in the region,” he says.

The Government is investing in a new three-year insulation programme, which will deliver warmer, drier and healthier homes to communities in most need, Energy and Resources Minister Simon Bridges says.

Budget 2013 allocates $100 million of operating funding over three years to the Warm Up New Zealand: Healthy Homes programme, targeting low-income households for home insulation, particularly those families with children and high health needs. It is expected to insulate around 46,000 additional houses.

It’s a great pleasure to be speaking at this very important event for the New Zealand oil and gas industry.

As I said in my opening address last night, it’s wonderful to see so many people here, particularly our international guests. Welcome.

Already today, our Prime Minister and other key speakers have spoken much about ‘opportunity’.

In oil and gas terms, New Zealand truly is a land of opportunity.

The demand for – and exploration of – oil and gas has never been greater.

Energy and Resources Minister Simon Bridges today announced details of the Government’s second round to attract competing bids for oil and gas exploration permits.

Speaking at the Advantage NZ: 2013 Petroleum Conference, Mr Bridges said Block Offer 2013 is an important step towards realising the potential of New Zealand’s oil and gas resources.

“Block Offer 2013 presents a range of promising opportunities for investors and operators, who bring with them knowledge and experience in global exploration and production of oil and gas.