The Greens back the call from CTU for bold, future-focussed action for our energy system.
"Energy is a public good fundamental to our wellbeing. It should never have been treated as a commodity for private profit," says Green Party Co-leader, Marama Davidson.
"We can be a country where everyone has access to reliable, affordable and renewable energy. We just need the political will to do it.
"For thirty years, electricity market privatisation has driven us towards short-term thinking, while gentailer profiteering has created higher energy bills, destroyed jobs, and left people struggling to heat their homes.
"Through their soaring bills, people across Aotearoa can see that the system is failing. The time is now for the Government to intervene, and invest in an electricity system fit for the 21st century.
"Our ancestors built great public infrastructure, like our hydro dams, that ensured everyone had access to cheap and reliable power. But since 1988, that legacy has been sold off, piece by piece, in the pursuit of short term shareholder profit.
"Today, we're facing the consequences of these decisions. Unaffordable bills, industries under threat, and a spanner thrown in the works of our net-zero goals.
"The time for tinkering around the edges of our energy system is over. The Greens are calling on the Government to build a sustainable system that delivers for people and planet, not profit," says Marama Davidson.
