Stuart Smith
National MP
Kaikoura
Last week, Christopher Luxon launched our energy policy, Electrify NZ, which will double our renewable energy generation to accelerate our transition to a low-emissions, high-growth economy.
This followed the launch of our education policy to ‘Teach the Basics Brilliantly’, which was incredibly well received. Briefly, Teach the Basics Brilliantly will ensure:
- All primary and intermediate students spend an average of one hour a day each on reading, writing and arithmetic;
- Minimum requirements will be set for what schools must teach every year in reading, writing, maths and science. Unbelievable that it isn’t currently a requirement;
- Regular standardised assessments and clear reporting to parents;
- Enhanced training and more tools to support teachers.
Electrify NZ is also a major step change in policy as it will increase investment in renewable energy; particularly wind, solar and geothermal. The policy will reduce regulations and the red tape which currently hinder investment in renewables. This will be achieved as follows.
- Introduce a new National Policy Statement for Renewable Electricity Generation (NPS-REG) within a year of taking office and establish a one-year limit to re-consent existing generation assets.
- The NPS-REG will require that consent be issued within one year for geothermal, wind and solar; increase durations to 35 years and set minimum lapse times to 10 years.
- The plan will streamline the rules and regulations governing electricity transmission and distribution infrastructure. It will eliminate consents for upgrades to existing transmission and local lines infrastructure within limits and require consents for transmission and local lines to be issued in one year; increase durations to 35 years and set minimum lapse times to 10 years.
- Update the Commerce Act around cost recovery of regulated assets since costs for new lines connection in New Zealand are high compared to other countries.
The current RMA has us tied up in excessive red tape: the costs of resource consents for infrastructure projects have increased 140 per cent over the last decade. And the time it takes to gain permission to build has blown out by 150 per cent. A typical wind farm can take 10 years to come online – eight years to consent and just two years to build. Consenting times add cost to projects which in turn adds cost to our electricity bills.
Electrify NZ will have a positive impact on households and businesses. According to an analysis by the Boston Consulting Group, electrifying our economy will reduce average household energy bills in New Zealand by 10 per cent by 2030 and 45 per cent by 2050.
Consumers and businesses will benefit from lower fuel prices due to the electrification of both transport and heating processes.
We will also unlock the hydrogen economy, which requires significant electricity inputs and promises enormous benefits including zero emissions transport, increased flexibility in electricity demand and the potential for green hydrogen exports.
Both Teaching the Basics Brilliantly and Electrify NZ will move the dial forward for New Zealand and will make a welcome relief from the bumper sticker announcements we have had from Labour.
This is just the beginning: there is more to come. I am confident that we will deliver policies in the lead up to October that will make New Zealand a better place. We are ready to govern for all New Zealanders.
Stuart Smith
http://stuartsmith.national.org.nz/