Search

Good morning.  It’s my pleasure to host you in Parliament for this morning’s Block Offer awards for 2015.

It is clear that this has been a challenging year for the sector.  New Zealand has, along with the rest of the world, felt the ramifications of the global commodity price, which has been lower for longer as a result of increased supply and decreased demand.

Energy and Resources Minister Simon Bridges today announced the award of nine new oil and gas exploration permits for Block Offer 2015.

Block Offer 2015 includes three onshore permits and six offshore permits, all in the Taranaki Basin.  Collectively the permits include a committed work programme expenditure of $4.4 million, with the potential of more than $364 million if all contingent work is realised.

Transport Minister Simon Bridges today cut the ribbon opening the Cambridge section of the $2.1 billion Waikato Expressway.

“This is the country’s newest stretch of road and it has been two years in the making. I’m excited it is open six months ahead of schedule and in time for the upcoming holiday period,” Mr Bridges says.

The $250 million Cambridge section is one of seven that make up the 102 kilometre Waikato Expressway, a Road of National Significance identified early by the Government for progression.

Transport Ministers today released a consultation paper that looks at options for new rules for passenger services such as taxis, private hires, shuttles, and ridesharing.

Earlier this year the Government initiated the small passenger services review to ensure regulations for the sector were both fit for purpose and flexible enough to accommodate new technologies.

New Zealand is the newest member of the Global Geothermal Alliance (GGA), Energy and Resources Minister Simon Bridges announced overnight in Paris.

The GGA is an initiative led by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) to increase geothermal electricity generation and the direct use of geothermal heat. The announcement of New Zealand’s membership of the GGA took place in Paris as part of the Climate Change Conference.

Associate Climate Change Issues Minister Simon Bridges will tomorrow travel to Paris, France to take part in the Paris Climate Change Conference.

“For the first time leaders will seek to agree a new binding climate change agreement that includes contributions from all major emitting countries.

“Ensuring maximum participation will be essential for putting the world on a path to keeping global temperature rise below two degrees.

Transport Minister Simon Bridges today opened the Nelson Street Cycleway in Auckland, which is the city’s newest and most anticipated urban cycleway.

“This is a great day for Auckland’s inner city cycling network. The cycleway is a new and exciting urban space, creating a city centre where people feel more safe and confident to ride a bike,” Mr Bridges says.

Transport Minister Simon Bridges today turned the first sod on construction of the new $22 million Kawarau Falls Bridge on State highway 6 at Frankton near Queenstown.

The bridge will replace the existing, historic 90 year-old single lane bridge and will be one of the biggest roading infrastructure projects seen in the Queenstown area in a number of years.

Energy and Resources Minister Simon Bridges has welcomed the Electricity Authority’s report on the October 2014 outage at Penrose substation in Auckland.

“The Authority has conducted a thorough and detailed inquiry into the two-day outage.  This included drawing on a joint investigation by Vector, Transpower and independent experts, together with forensic analysis of the damaged cables,” Mr Bridges says.

Energy and Resources Minister Simon Bridges has announced that the Government’s latest programme of aeromagnetic surveys will begin soon in Nelson and Marlborough.

“The aim of these surveys is to build up comprehensive data on our minerals resources”, Minister Bridges says.

Transport Minister Simon Bridges today opened the second and final stage of the Government’s $45 million Caversham Highway Improvement project in Dunedin.

About 25,000 vehicles a day use the stretch of highway that has been the focus of the Caversham Highway Improvement project, making it the busiest highway corridor south of Christchurch. The highway forms part of the main southern arterial serving Dunedin, Central Otago, Southland and Port Otago

Transport Minister Simon Bridges today welcomed news that work is set to start on the multi-million dollar Baypark to Bayfair roading project in Tauranga that will boost the Bay of Plenty’s economy and improve road safety.

The $102 million Baypark to Bayfair Link Upgrade includes two flyovers, one which will take State highway 2 over the Maunganui-Girven intersection and a second taking State highway 29A over the railway line and the Te Maunga intersection.

Transport Minister Simon Bridges welcomes news that work on the final Hamilton section of the $2.1 billion Waikato Expressway will start in 2016, following the announcement of the successful tenderer today.

This section, a 21 kilometre stretch of road, will be the biggest single roading project in Waikato’s history and cost $973 million.

“This is one of seven sections of highway that make up the 102 kilometre Waikato Expressway, a Road of National Significance identified early by the Government for progression,” Mr Bridges says.

Transport Minister Simon Bridges says a major upgrade of the Otahuhu Station will provide better bus and rail connections to support the roll-out of a new public transport network for south Auckland.

Energy and Resources Minister Simon Bridges has reappointed Tom Campbell as Chair of the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA), reappointed Elena Trout, and appointed Hon Phil Heatley as Members of the Authority.  All three appointments are for three years, effective from 1 February 2016.

EECA’s role is to encourage, promote, and support energy efficiency, energy conservation and the use of renewable energy resources in New Zealand.

Transport Minister Simon Bridges today announced the reappointment of members to the boards of the NZ Transport Agency and Maritime New Zealand.

Chris Moller has been reappointed as Chair and Mark Oldfield as a member of the Board of the NZ Transport Agency.

“Mr Moller is a professional director, with experience in finance, accounting and general management. He has successfully led the Board since being appointed Chair in March 2010.

Transport Minister Simon Bridges today announced he has authorised an alliance between Qantas and American Airlines, which is expected to result in lower fares and more choice for passengers travelling between New Zealand and the USA.

The alliance has enabled Qantas and American Airlines to create a new direct service between Los Angeles and Auckland, which will start in June 2016.

Transport Minister Simon Bridges says the start of construction of the Haywards Interchange project is an important milestone for the Wellington region.

Mr Bridges joined Upper Hutt Mayor Wayne Guppy and NZ Transport Agency officials to turn the first sod to mark the start of construction for the $43 million interchange, which will separate State Highway traffic from local traffic at the intersection of State Highway 2 and State Highway 58.

Transport Minister Simon Bridges has turned the first sod of a major urban cycleway that will connect Auckland’s eastern suburbs with the city centre.

The Glen Innes to Tamaki Drive Shared Path is a key project in the Government’s Urban Cycleways Programme which, once completed in 2018, will allow people to walk, run or cycle from the east to the harbour and city centre.

The $40 million dollar project provides another link in the Auckland Cycle Network.

Transport Minister Simon Bridges has turned the sod for the next of the Government's Accelerated Transport Infrastructure Improvements projects being built in Auckland, the Southern Corridor Improvements Project.

Mr Bridges says the $268 million improvements to State Highway 1 (from Manukau to Papakura), as well as an upgrade of the Takanini Interchange will support the rapid population growth that is expected in south Auckland over the next 30 years, as well as address the immediate need to keep traffic flowing in the area.

An online tool aimed at demystifying the cost of running an electric vehicle (EV) has been officially launched by Transport and Energy and Resources Minister Simon Bridges this morning.

Speaking at the New Zealand Transport Fuels and Fleet Management Summit, Mr Bridges says research - by the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA) and the Ministry of Transport - shows around half of corporate fleet managers do not have information comparing the running costs of EVs with petrol or diesel vehicles.

Good morning everyone.

Transitioning to a low carbon economy and making the most of technology are significant themes in both my energy and transport portfolios.

New Zealand faces transport and energy challenges.  We want to continue to grow our economy and help New Zealanders to prosper. This means we need secure and affordable energy, and a transport system that meets people’s needs. At the same time, we have to reduce our carbon emissions.

Good morning everyone, and thanks for the opportunity to present to you today. I’d like to start by talking a little about the role Government plays in ensuring the safe, efficient and reliable supply of transport fuels, minimising barriers to competition, and promoting a competitive market.

Of course, environmental outcomes are also very important.

Government’s role

As Energy Ministers, the delivery of resilient energy infrastructure is at the heart of what we do.

Climate-proofing that infrastructure is an increasingly important part of that work as we seek to understand the growing uncertainties and challenges presented by climate change and extreme weather events.

In New Zealand, the 2011 Canterbury Earthquake was a stark reminder of the devastating impact a natural disaster can have.  Here in the Philippines, Typhoon Haiyan wreaked havoc just two years ago.