Media release Friday 27th March
For immediate release

Oil Free Wellington Delivers Message to Norwegian Consulate as Government Prepares to Announce 2015 Oil and Gas Block Offer.
Stop Statoil – No deep sea oil.

Oil Free Wellington had a simple message to deliver to the Norwegian Consulate today: Stop Statoil – No deep sea oil. Members of Oil Free Wellington emptied an oil drum full of letters signed by 500 Wellingtonians demanding the Norwegian Government stop their oil company’s oil and gas explorations. The Norwegian government has a 67% share in the oil company which has permits to explore for oil off the Northland and Wellington coasts.

Spokesperson Fi Gibson told Hon Consul General for Norway Graeme Mitchell,
“given the known catastrophic climate effects of burning fossil fuels, there is no room in our collective future for further oil exploration.” Mr Mitchell committed to delivering the letters to the Norwegian embassy in Canberra.

Oil Free Wellington have sent this message as the New Zealand Government prepares to announce its 2015 block offer at the Advantage New Zealand Petroleum Summit which starts in Auckland this weekend.The block offer process began in 2012 and has seen more than 476, 000 square kilometres of ocean opened up to the oil industry. A coalition of groups are organising a march to oppose the Petroleum Summit in Auckland on Sunday.

Fi Gibson went on to say “No matter what safety measures are taken, the risks of deep sea oil drilling are too great., The marine species that occupy the seas around New Zealand must be not be exposed to any further risks. Their existence is already too fragile.”

Statoil faces ongoing opposition in Northland with local kaumatua voicing their anger, many joining hikoi to Auckland and Waitangi, and a thousand-strong march in September last year in Auckland. A large number of people are expected to attend the March on Sunday.

Media release ends

Notes:
Statoil was granted three permits with Chevron as part of the 2014 block offer to prospect off the east Coast of the North Island and two in 2013 and 14 to explore in the Reinga Basin. They have spent the summer engaged in 2D seismic surveying off Northland.

Just last week the the UN organisation in charge of global climate change negotiations backed the fast-growing divestment campaign persuading investors to sell off their fossil fuel assets, acknowledging that there is more fossil fuels in current known reserves than can be safely burnt. The divestment campaign has targeted the ANZ Bank this week as sponsors of the Petroleum Summit.

© Scoop Media