NZ First’s Shane Jones doubts New Zealand will reach 100% renewable energy anytime soon.
“I’m 65. It won’t happen in my lifetime.
“I just think that Kiwis begrudingly coming to accept that net zero is a nice objective, but we’re not going to get there if the cost is hollowing out our economy,” he said.
The Resources Minister told The Front Page podcast there is a continuing role of oil and gas in New Zealand’s energy mix – particularly during the transition period away from fossil fuels.
“But, in the transitional period, we need fossil fuels. I’m a politician that believes we should use our own resources before we import other people’s resources.”
The government’s repeal of the 2018 oil and gas exploration ban passed its final reading in Parliament recently to industry praise and the chagrin of environmentalists.
“My mission is to create the most competitively priced energy in the OECD.
“I want New Zealand to have the most affordable energy in our comparable trading partner jurisdictions ... And for that to happen, we need to boost and shoot every arrow in the quiver,” he said.
Affordability and energy security, however, have always come up against arguments around environmental risks and international climate commitments.
Jones argues that the $200 million government investment fund for local gas exploration is designed to be an attempt “to buttress our security”.
“The $200m set aside as part of the package beyond the oil and gas ban is to both accelerate what we know is already here, and hopefully to re-risk in the future, in the event that foreign firms or domestic investors want to have another go and open up new gas fields,” he said.
Green Party-commissioned legal advice has called the investment a “clear breach” of the Agreement on Climate Change, Trade and Sustainability (ACCTS) – a deal the Government struck with Costa Rica, Iceland, and Switzerland last year, prioritising trade in sustainable goods and services.
Meanwhile, it’s predicted that an estimated $100 billion of investment is needed by 2050 to build and maintain the infrastructure needed to improve the reliability of our grid. The Government is committed to doubling renewable energy in the next 25 years.
— New Zealand First (@nzfirst) July 3, 2025
On criticisms of him being “a puppet for private interests”, Jones puts it down to “the blood sport of politics”.
“I think there’s a new generation coming forward who’ve forgotten that milk comes from cows,” he said.
He argued that the criticism often overlooks his efforts in supporting community energy projects and climate adaptation.
“I’m the politician that spent over $200m dedicated to protecting our stop banks to stop rivers from flooding, and I’ve been told by various regional councils if that money hadn’t been allocated and spent by my good self, areas such as Taradale would have been wiped out.
“I’m the guy at a time of fiscal hardship, dedicated 60-odd million dollars to exploring for supercritical energy, and if we can pull it off, it’ll completely invert the price equation of New Zealand’s energy.
“I’m also the guy funding at the moment, small communities from Stewart Island, Chatham Islands, the East Cape, Northland community renewable energy projects.
“But it’s easier to focus on Shane Jones as someone who backs fossil fuels, that’s going to fry the planet,” he said.
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The Front Page is a daily news podcast from the New Zealand Herald, available to listen to every weekday from 5am. The podcast is presented by Chelsea Daniels, an Auckland-based journalist with a background in world news and crime/justice reporting who joined NZME in 2016.
You can follow the podcast at iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.