New Zealand’s gas horror story will haunt for years to come

The economic and environmental cost of the seven-year exploration ban will be felt long after its removal

New Zealand’s government has taken various steps to revitalise its ailing oil and gas sector, including by overturning a ban this year on new oil and gas exploration imposed by the previous administration in 2018. That ban and other policies had a profoundly negative impact on both the country’s oil and gas sector and its broader economy and energy security. As the current government works to undo that damage and signal New Zealand is once more “open for business”, the experience serves as a case study for other countries seeking to balance climate action with economic and societal concerns. This report aims to examine this topic in depth, as well as drawing comparisons with the policies of