1 00:00:00,280 --> 00:00:02,759 Speaker 1: The power was cut to my place last night. Don't worry. 2 00:00:02,800 --> 00:00:06,040 Speaker 1: It was expected. It was a maintenance thing. From one 3 00:00:06,080 --> 00:00:09,479 Speaker 1: in the morning or midnight through till five am. The 4 00:00:09,520 --> 00:00:11,920 Speaker 1: heating was off. It was chilly. I think it was 5 00:00:12,000 --> 00:00:14,280 Speaker 1: six degrees in Auckland last night. Not as bad as 6 00:00:14,320 --> 00:00:19,119 Speaker 1: you zero in christ Church, granted, but boy does it 7 00:00:19,160 --> 00:00:22,000 Speaker 1: make you think how important electricity is. You don't know 8 00:00:22,000 --> 00:00:25,920 Speaker 1: what you've got till it's gone. You wake up, you know, freezing, 9 00:00:26,120 --> 00:00:29,840 Speaker 1: you've got fripples, you've got a cold foot hanging out 10 00:00:29,880 --> 00:00:34,360 Speaker 1: the bed, you're fumbling around in your undies trying trying 11 00:00:34,360 --> 00:00:37,040 Speaker 1: to find undies because it's dark. You know, it's quite 12 00:00:37,040 --> 00:00:40,040 Speaker 1: important to have electricity, right, and you don't know how 13 00:00:40,040 --> 00:00:44,320 Speaker 1: good it is till it's gone. So too for major 14 00:00:44,400 --> 00:00:47,080 Speaker 1: key industries who are feeling the cold, hard reality at 15 00:00:47,080 --> 00:00:50,159 Speaker 1: the moment of life without energy, without gas. There are 16 00:00:50,200 --> 00:00:51,920 Speaker 1: two stories in the last couple of days that caught 17 00:00:51,920 --> 00:00:56,880 Speaker 1: my attention. One was methin X, which produces methanol. They've 18 00:00:56,880 --> 00:00:59,840 Speaker 1: got two hundred and seventy staff. Six hundred and forty 19 00:01:00,000 --> 00:01:04,000 Speaker 1: million dollars is what they're worth to the Taranaki economy. 20 00:01:04,000 --> 00:01:07,560 Speaker 1: More close to a billion to the national economy, eight 21 00:01:07,560 --> 00:01:11,720 Speaker 1: percent of Tartanaki's GDP. And they are reviewing operations in 22 00:01:11,760 --> 00:01:16,200 Speaker 1: New Zealand. They're running at half capacity. Why a lack 23 00:01:16,240 --> 00:01:21,559 Speaker 1: of gas, dwindling supply from existing gas fields. The spot 24 00:01:21,640 --> 00:01:24,800 Speaker 1: market is shooting up going through the roof. Wholesale prices 25 00:01:24,840 --> 00:01:28,320 Speaker 1: are up. You can't get a contract. The business is 26 00:01:28,880 --> 00:01:31,520 Speaker 1: the equivalent of stumbling around in the dark. At the moment, 27 00:01:31,560 --> 00:01:36,360 Speaker 1: there's no certainty. They can't get affordable contracts, so business 28 00:01:36,400 --> 00:01:40,479 Speaker 1: is suffering. The other story, the largest employer in Rupaehu 29 00:01:40,600 --> 00:01:44,280 Speaker 1: District two hundred and fifty people employed at this poulp 30 00:01:44,319 --> 00:01:48,720 Speaker 1: mill and sawmill. They've paused their operations. Why Energy costs 31 00:01:49,360 --> 00:01:53,160 Speaker 1: up six hundred percent since twenty twenty one. There's a 32 00:01:53,240 --> 00:01:56,360 Speaker 1: fourteen day pause going on there while they consider their future. 33 00:01:56,400 --> 00:02:02,440 Speaker 1: This is not good. Some are talking about a manufacturing exodus. 34 00:02:02,480 --> 00:02:04,960 Speaker 1: This is what we're seeing. It will hurt small town 35 00:02:05,000 --> 00:02:08,000 Speaker 1: New Zealand. And these are good jobs. Therese are jobs 36 00:02:08,000 --> 00:02:14,440 Speaker 1: that feed families. Is this a surprise? No. Twenty eighteen 37 00:02:15,040 --> 00:02:18,760 Speaker 1: MB rang the alarm bells about the government's oil and 38 00:02:18,840 --> 00:02:22,800 Speaker 1: gas ban quite loudly, I might add, and I'll just 39 00:02:22,840 --> 00:02:25,440 Speaker 1: read you a little bit from what was written at 40 00:02:25,480 --> 00:02:28,600 Speaker 1: the time in twenty eighteen. This is a briefing paper 41 00:02:28,639 --> 00:02:32,400 Speaker 1: from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment given to 42 00:02:33,200 --> 00:02:36,880 Speaker 1: then Energy Minister Megan Woods. It said METHODEX would not 43 00:02:36,960 --> 00:02:40,120 Speaker 1: be able to operate at full capacity from twenty twenty 44 00:02:40,160 --> 00:02:45,200 Speaker 1: one and would stop completely after twenty twenty six. Method 45 00:02:45,400 --> 00:02:48,000 Speaker 1: X will require a new discovery if it is to 46 00:02:48,080 --> 00:02:52,639 Speaker 1: continue operating in New Zealand over the medium to long term. 47 00:02:53,160 --> 00:02:57,600 Speaker 1: So we had the warning. Now it is happening, and 48 00:02:57,639 --> 00:03:01,000 Speaker 1: the government promised a just transition at the time. Where 49 00:03:01,080 --> 00:03:04,600 Speaker 1: is that? Show me the jobs to replace the potentially 50 00:03:04,800 --> 00:03:08,440 Speaker 1: hundreds that are on the line right now feels a 51 00:03:08,480 --> 00:03:11,160 Speaker 1: little bit like we're fumbling around in the dark. For 52 00:03:11,280 --> 00:03:14,799 Speaker 1: more from News Talks B listen live on air or online, 53 00:03:14,960 --> 00:03:17,320 Speaker 1: and keep our shows with you wherever you go with 54 00:03:17,440 --> 00:03:19,400 Speaker 1: our podcasts on iHeartRadio.