Displaying 1 - 24 of 180 results.

Acting Minister of Energy and Resources, Hekia Parata, today released a report from the Electricity Authority on the steps it has taken to improve electricity market performance.

“The report clearly shows the Electricity Authority has made significant progress in delivering priorities identified in the Ministerial review of the electricity market and Electricity Industry Act 2010,'' says Ms Parata.

  • Hekia Parata
  • Energy and Resources

Acting Minister of Energy and Resources, Hekia Parata, says all gas consumers should have their supply restored by midday following a gas leak on the Maui pipeline five days ago.

Welding on the damaged section of the pipeline, just north of New Plymouth, was completed on Friday. The pipe was tested rigorously yesterday and repressurised early this morning, which will see the gradual restoration of the last remaining consumers.

  • Hekia Parata
  • Energy and Resources

The Acting Minister of Energy and Resources, Hekia Parata, today visited the site of the gas leak on the Maui pipeline, just north of New Plymouth.

Vector has been working around the clock, rotating crews, since the early hours of Tuesday morning to fix a section of the pipe, which had ruptured along the seam.
The affected section has been removed, and work is continuing on fitting the new section, with testing at each stage.

Vector advise, if progress continues at the current rate, they hope to have gas supply fully restored by late Sunday.

  • Hekia Parata
  • Energy and Resources

Acting Minister of Energy and Resources, Hekia Parata, today welcomed a project to insulate all of the homes in central Foxton as part of the Government’s Warm Up New Zealand: Heat Smart programme.

‘Warm Up Foxton’ is being led by New Zealand company Autex Industries Ltd, in partnership with PowerShed Ltd and the Horowhenua District Council. Their additional funding contribution means that up to 1300 Foxton households could get their homes insulated at little or no cost.

  • Hekia Parata
  • Energy and Resources

The Acting Minister of Energy and Resources, Hekia Parata, is thanking consumers for conserving gas while Vector contend with a leak on the Maui pipeline in Taranaki.

The residential savings have meant that another band of users will be brought back on today.

Gas supply was restored to essential services yesterday including hospitals and rest homes, and a number of dairy factories and bakeries.

  • Hekia Parata
  • Energy and Resources

Acting Minister of Energy and Resources, Hekia Parata, says gas consumers need to continue limiting their usage while Vector work on a leak on the Maui pipeline in Taranaki.

Ms Parata says Vector is making good progress with the leak, just north of New Plymouth, which is affecting consumers in the North Island.

  • Hekia Parata
  • Energy and Resources

Acting Minister of Energy and Resources, Hekia Parata, has this evening been briefed in New Plymouth on plans to address the incident that is impacting on gas supply across the upper North Island.

Vector advised early this morning of an incident on the Maui pipeline, which transports gas north from Taranaki.

Vector is the technical and system operator for the Maui pipeline. The area where the gas escape has occurred is steep and difficult terrain.

  • Hekia Parata
  • Energy and Resources

Acting Minister of Energy and Resources, Hekia Parata, has arrived in New Plymouth for a briefing on a gas leak that is affecting customers in the North Island.

Vector was advised this morning of a large gas escape, which resulted in a loss of pressure on the Maui pipeline which transports gas north from Taranaki.

The escape occurred in the remote White Cliffs area, north of New Plymouth.

The pipeline has been isolated and is currently being depressurised.

  • Hekia Parata
  • Energy and Resources

The Acting Minister of Energy and Resources, Hekia Parata, today launched a project on the East Coast that will see 2,000 homes in the Gisborne and Tairawhiti region insulated over the next two years.

The $5 million special project extends the Eastland Community Trust’s Healthy Homes project to improve the health and wellbeing of people on the East Coast.

  • Hekia Parata
  • Energy and Resources

The Acting Minister of Energy and Resources, Hekia Parata, today welcomed the launch of a special project that will see the homes of many Pacific Island people in Wellington and Dunedin made warmer and healthier.

The Pacific Peoples Healthier Homes project aims to reduce respiratory illness rates in Pacific Island people, by insulating homes at little cost to the homeowner.

The programme is being run by the Pacific Peoples Wellbeing Trust and is part of Warm Up New Zealand: Heat Smart, the Government’s insulation and heating programme.

  • Hekia Parata
  • Energy and Resources

The Acting Minister of Energy and Resources, Hekia Parata, has today announced that three marine energy projects will receive funding as part of the Government’s Marine Energy Deployment Fund.

The projects include a wave energy device for Stewart Island, turbines to generate electricity for the Parnell Baths in Auckland, and funding for a cable to link a wave energy device at Moa Point in Wellington.

“New Zealand has huge potential to generate electricity from marine energy in the future,” says Ms Parata.

  • Hekia Parata
  • Energy and Resources

Data published today in the New Zealand Energy Quarterly shows that in the first six months of this year almost 80 per cent of New Zealand's electricity generation came from renewables, says the Acting Minister of Energy and Resources, Hekia Parata.

“The electricity industry is buzzing with new construction projects across the country. We’ve seen four wind farms, two geothermal generators and a gas-fired power station commissioned in the last few years.

  • Hekia Parata
  • Energy and Resources

The Acting Minister of Energy and Resources, Hekia Parata, says the APEC Energy and Transportation Ministerial Conference resonated with all the key elements of the New Zealand Energy Strategy and the New Zealand Energy Efficiency and Conservation Strategy.

Ms Parata represented the Government at the conference in San Francisco where the energy policy roundtable discussion focused on "Stability, Diversity and Resilience: Ensuring Energy for Growth."

  • Hekia Parata
  • Energy and Resources

The Acting Minister of Energy and Resources and the Minister of Women’s Affairs, Hekia Parata, will represent the New Zealand Government at the APEC Energy Ministerial Conference and the APEC Women and the Economy Summit in San Francisco next week.

Ms Parata will attend two Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) energy meetings. On September 12 she will attend the Energy Security Policy Roundtable which will discuss the impact of energy security and technology on economic growth in the region.

  • Hekia Parata
  • Energy and Resources
  • Women's Affairs

The New Zealand Energy Strategy and the New Zealand Energy Efficiency and Conservation Strategy released today by the Acting Minister of Energy and Resources, Hekia Parata, show an energy future that delivers for all New Zealanders.

“New Zealand is blessed with an abundance of energy resources,” says Ms Parata.

“Our Government’s goal is to make the most of all the assets we have – hydro, wind, geothermal, oil, gas and minerals.

  • Hekia Parata
  • Energy and Resources

The Acting Minister of Energy and Resources, Hekia Parata, today acknowledged the significant investment the Tūwharetoa Settlement Trust has made in home insulation for its people.

The Trust has signed an agreement under the Government’s insulation programme, Warm Up New Zealand: Heat Smart, that will see it invest up to 67% of the cost to insulate each house.

2,600 homes of iwi members across the country will benefit making it the largest iwi home insulation partnership to date.

  • Hekia Parata
  • Energy and Resources

The Acting Minister of Energy and Resources, Hekia Parata, has announced the following appointments to the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority Board.

The Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA) is a Crown Agency with the role of encouraging, promoting and supporting energy efficiency, energy conservation and the use of renewable sources of energy.

The EECA board comprises of six to eight members appointed by the Minister.

  • Hekia Parata
  • Energy and Resources

Greenhouse gas emissions from electricity generation are the lowest in a decade thanks to an increase in renewable energy and reduction in coal generation, the Minister for Climate Change Issues, Nick Smith, and the Acting Minister of Energy and Resources, Hekia Parata, announced today.

The Energy Greenhouse Gas Emissions report, released by the Ministry of Economic Development, shows that renewable energy is not only providing New Zealand with a range of energy options but is also having a positive effect on the environment.

  • Nick Smith
  • Hekia Parata
  • Climate Change Issues
  • Energy and Resources

The Acting Minister of Energy and Resources, Hekia Parata, has announced the following appointments and reappointment to the Electricity Authority’s Rulings Panel.

Wellington barrister Peter Dengate Thrush has been appointed chairperson, replacing Gael Webster who has completed her term.

Mr Dengate Thrush is a member of the Copyright Tribunal and, until June 2011, was Chairman of the board of Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). He has been a member of the Rulings Panel since March 2008 and deputy Chair since July 2008.

  • Hekia Parata
  • Energy and Resources

Consumers should benefit when engine fuel specifications are updated later this year, says the Acting Minister of Energy and Resources, Hekia Parata.

“Most of the changes relate to technical aspects of the engine fuel specifications and will be of most interest to the fuel and motoring industries, although it is likely that one of the changes could deliver some small fuel price savings for consumers,” Ms Parata says. 

  • Hekia Parata
  • Energy and Resources

An extra 1250 households each year will be able to access Government funding to replace their old solid fuel heaters, Environment Minister Nick Smith and Acting Energy and Resources Minister Hekia Parata announced today.

  • Nick Smith
  • Hekia Parata
  • Energy and Resources
  • Environment

Three-quarters of the electricity used last year was generated by renewables, the highest annual level in 12 years, says Acting Minister of Energy and Resources, Hekia Parata.

The information was released today in the Energy Data File 2011, which details the supply, transmission and use of all types of fuel in New Zealand and also contains energy prices, international comparisons and oil and gas reserves.

The high level of renewables is attributed to new wind and geothermal energy projects, as well as good rainfall into hydro lakes.

  • Hekia Parata
  • Energy and Resources

Acting Minister of Energy and Resources, Hekia Parata, says the Government supports the approach being taken by the Pike River receivers to seek a commitment from any purchaser of the mine to take all reasonable steps to recover the miners’ bodies.

It is expected such a commitment would form part of any Sale and Purchase agreement between the receivers and the mine purchasers.

“In May the receivers stated publicly that they would seek a commitment from any purchaser to take all reasonable steps to recover the miners’ bodies,” says Ms Parata.

  • Hekia Parata
  • Energy and Resources

A global survey of around 500 petroleum companies has ranked New Zealand as the fifth best country for investment in oil and gas exploration, says Acting Minister of Energy and Resources, Hekia Parata.

The Fraser Institute Global Petroleum Survey is an annual survey of oil and gas exploration and production companies which focuses on barriers to investment in oil and gas exploration and production around the world. 

The petroleum industry refers to it when making decisions about locations for oil and gas exploration and development.

  • Hekia Parata
  • Energy and Resources