New Zealand puts brakes on search for oil in bid to go green

WELLINGTON, New Zealand — Signalling its commitment to a clean energy future, New Zealand’s government announced Thursday it won’t issue any more permits for offshore oil and gas exploration.

The announcement won’t affect existing permits for exploration or extraction, meaning the industry is likely to continue in the South Pacific nation for several more decades.

Still, the move is a change in direction after voters last year elected the liberal government led by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. That followed nine years of conservative leadership under a government that favoured expanding the industry.

Ardern has pledged to go green by reducing the country’s net greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2050. Her government also plans to plant 100 million trees each year and ensure the electricity grid runs entirely from renewable energy.

The oil and gas industry is relatively small in New Zealand, employing about 11,000 people and accounting for about 1 per cent of the overall economy. It is dwarfed in importance by farming and tourism.

Still, the industry is important to the Taranaki region, where most of the activity is centred.

New Plymouth Mayor Neil Holdom told Radio New Zealand the move was a “kick in the guts for the future of the Taranaki economy.”

But Ardern said nobody would be losing their jobs as a result of the move.

“We’re striking the right balance for New Zealand,” Ardern said. “We’re protecting existing industry, and protecting future generations from climate change.”

Environmental group Greenpeace hailed the move. Russel Norman, the group’s executive director in New Zealand, said the country “has stood up to one of the most powerful industries in the world.”

The move does not apply to onshore exploration permits. The government said those would continue for the next three years and be reviewed after that.