Roger Sowry MP National Party Energy Spokesman

31 August 2004

Power prices rise again as Energy Minister tinkers

"All New Zealanders are paying the price for the Labour Government's lethargic response to New Zealand's longer term energy crisis," says National Party Energy spokesman Roger Sowry.

Government-owned Mercury Energy has increased electricity prices by an average of 8 per cent for more than quarter of a million households in the greater Auckland area.

Mercury's move follows a similar step by state-owned Genesis - which pushed up prices by an average of 12% last month.

"The increases are being blamed on dwindling gas reserves, but surely that highlights the risk being taken by the Government to underwrite the new gas-fired power station being built by Genesis at Huntly.

"The Government has known about this looming energy crisis for its entire term in office. It is no surprise that Maui is running low and no surprise that it takes more than just the flick of a switch to build new generation.

"The Minister knows that Labour's meddling in our energy sector has been damaging. That's the reason why he has been panicked into taking risks with Genesis which could end up costing all of us even more," says Mr Sowry.

ENDS

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Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>