The future of oil and gas exploration in New Zealand

[CMOP + 227]

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones and Climate Change Minister James Shaw are due to make the announcement at 9am.

Ms Ardern caused a stir last month when she told Greenpeace activists campaigning for an end to oil and gas exploration that the Government was "actively considering" the issue.

Later the same day she said the annual block offer process was under consideration.

The block offer is the Government's tender process for permits to search for oil and gas on and offshore.

Later today we'll see what New Zealand decides to move forward with. 

[Rodent + 1,424]

New Zealand has decided to end all new offshore oil explanation. Period. Industry says it was not consulted.

[Marina Schwarz + 1,576]

But onshore remains, as do licenses already in operation. I saw they've awarded one block in each of the last two annual tenders. So, meh.

[carbonates + 22]

Perhaps New Zealand needs to reflect on the benefits they have received from oil and gas. I have yet to see an airplane or a cargo vessel carrying any significant amount of cargo land or leave New Zealand without the benefit of oil. I will applaud them if they want to go back to the sailing ships of the 19th century but they will have to accept the high fatality rates and slow passage that those ships experienced. I don't think the exports of frozen meat, cheese, butter, or fruit that New Zealand produces will make it that way. The per capita use of oil and gas per person in New Zealand exceeds that of Japan. I am sure the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Quatar, Oman, Indonesia, and the Russians will be happy to keep sending them oil and refined products.  And I guess they feel no guilt about the roughly 1.5 million tonnes of coal they export each year. Coal use in New Zealand is common, and powers timber, dairy, steel, and cement industries, plus on the South Island coal is the primary source of fuel, still used for small operations like hotels, because there is no gas supply. They could probably reduce their carbon footprint by using more oil and gas. But this is not about logic is it? My own employer left behind it's oil production operations there about a decade ago after struggling to make economic returns. 

This is Greenpeace fueling up with diesel:

[CMOP + 227]

On 4/18/2018 at 8:48 AM, carbonates said:

Perhaps New Zealand needs to reflect on the benefits they have received from oil and gas. I have yet to see an airplane or a cargo vessel carrying any significant amount of cargo land or leave New Zealand without the benefit of oil. I will applaud them if they want to go back to the sailing ships of the 19th century but they will have to accept the high fatality rates and slow passage that those ships experienced. I don't think the exports of frozen meat, cheese, butter, or fruit that New Zealand produces will make it that way. The per capita use of oil and gas per person in New Zealand exceeds that of Japan. I am sure the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Quatar, Oman, Indonesia, and the Russians will be happy to keep sending them oil and refined products.  And I guess they feel no guilt about the roughly 1.5 million tonnes of coal they export each year. Coal use in New Zealand is common, and powers timber, dairy, steel, and cement industries, plus on the South Island coal is the primary source of fuel, still used for small operations like hotels, because there is no gas supply. They could probably reduce their carbon footprint by using more oil and gas. But this is not about logic is it? My own employer left behind it's oil production operations there about a decade ago after struggling to make economic returns. 

This is Greenpeace fueling up with diesel:

Good call @carbonates. When you break it down like that you - definitely see the irony on their decision. If they were to go 100% green peace they would have shut down the current offshore blocks that are currently in use as well. 

As you said OPEC is happy sending them oil. $$$$