A secure energy future for New Zealand

Thursday 10 October 2024

11:30am-1:30pm, including networking over a light lunch

Case Room 325, Owen G. Glenn Building

University of Auckland Business School, 12 Grafton Road, Auckland

New Zealand is at an energy cross-roads. Recent events and public debate have highlighted our lack of energy security resulting in shut-downs and job loses – our energy system now seems to be lurching from crisis to crisis. As a country with a rich natural resource endowment, how did we find ourselves in this position, is it as bad as its being reported and what can we do to rectify it? What steps can we take to ensure New Zealand’s energy security while achieving our long term climate goals?

John is a high-profile senior energy sector leader with extensive expertise in energy economics, climate change policy, government relations and systems thinking. He has experience working in a variety of public and private sector roles on natural resources policy, and electricity market and emissions trading scheme design. John is currently Chief Executive of Energy Resources Aotearoa, a collective of the biggest energy producers and users in New Zealand, whose goal is to enable collaboration and coherence across the energy ecosystem. He was the inaugural Executive Director of the BusinessNZ Energy Council and is a Board member of the World Energy Council and Interim Chair of its Finance and Audit Committee.

With a career commencing at the NZ Treasury, John has experience in cutting through complexity and ambiguity to find solutions to difficult policy challenges, and has a well-known media presence. He is currently leading efforts across New Zealand’s energy system to increase investment in innovation and productivity, in parallel with the sector’s efforts to meet global climate goals.

The Energy Centre is a multi-disciplinary research and education centre, founded in 2004. We gratefully acknowledge the support of the Energy Education Trust of New Zealand, which funds a wide array of energy projects and scholarships.

The mission of the EC is to provide research policy analysis and educational programmes to help business and government confront energy issues of national significance to New Zealand.

Host or Publisher University of Auckland, Business School