Simeon Brown on council 'nice-to-haves', energy prices | Q+A 2024

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon came out swinging at the Local Government NZ conference this week, telling councils it's time to "rein in the fantasies" on spending and return to "doing the basics brilliantly".
A day after Luxon's speech, Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee announced the Government would co-fund a World Dance Competition with Auckland Council, up to $750,000. Q+A asks Local Government Minister Simeon Brown whether this is consistent with the Government's directive to councils.
And as Energy Minister, Brown is grappling with sky-high wholesale electricity prices which are threatening jobs around the country. Q+A asks him what the Government will do.
Join Jack Tame and the Q+A team and find the answers to the questions that matter. Made with the support of NZ on Air.

[@mikebarton]

Simeon Brown wants councils to charge for any services that aren't for core public good. This includes water. So the little weasel is going to add a bunch of user pays charges. Not taxes, not rates, but trust me, we'll all be paying more. He is a smirking creep.

[@alistermacpherson7120]

Spot on,& we won't see any reduction

[@BamBam-uf4yi]

He wants more investment, with this governments record of canceling projects no ones gonna invest.

[@tonybolstad9514]

The local water done well just means raise the debt ceiling and pass the cost directly to the ratepayers who it seems have bottomless pockets. And so many people voted for this 🤬

[@LarryMilmine-e9r]

'not enough competition' is the corporate-friendly way of saying that corporations are price gouging. It's basically painting a picture that it's not the corporations fault for high prices but it's the fault of others letting them get away with it.

[@chrisphillips6106]

Very well put.

[@stevebrennan2873]

Yeah the government was warned-Max Bradford-at the time in the 1990s by experts NOT to privatise the electricity sector.The government at the time ignored it but claimed cheaper, more efficient services??? The result is similar to NZ Rail-private companies are interested primarily in there own profit not developing long term sustainable inferstructure-or the wellbeing(and long term cost) of our society as a whole.Indeed the existential climate situation isn't talked about enough, but climate is speaking nevertheless.This is why having strategic planning is so important including bi-partisan agreements-eg the I-Rex ferries(using 40% less diesel than conventual ferries) cancellation is a prime example of insane political decision making on a whim-eg ask Main-Freight-they weren't consulted about the cancellation-see further the story in the NBR and NZ Herald-the new I-Rex ferries were designed to provide efficient transition of rail and truck freight;-the amount of wasted money is once again sickening.

[@barrygeary9362]

Rates should not be set by the housing market price existing houses devalue but rates keep rising

[@AtCheruti]

A competitive market is always good. Too many example for this to need proving - would you rather a Toyota or a Lada? A state owned one might keep prices low but will inevitably distort the market with worse long term consequences.

[@louiethered479]

@@AtCheruti National has proved that breaking up the power industry and selling off half of it had far worse long term consequences. We were better off with the power industry being state-owned and run. We could have had ferries specifically built for Aotearoa NZ's conditions, the equivalent of a Ferrari, but Nicola Willis scrapped it for a Toyota Corolla which will cost us more.

[@tonybolstad9514]

But the landlords got their tax breaks... 🎉

[@JamesClark-cg1qk]

Land lords do not get "tax breaks"

[@growtocycle6992]

How much is the oil and gas lobby paying this guy!?? 🤯

[@A_kiwis_view]

Simeon is typical of the idealogical bleat that it will succeed when we do it properly! 14 years of neoliberalism in the UK has broken that country, now we are being asked to follow !!

[@pointlinesquare]

@@A_kiwis_view I tend to agree, but as a society we are thirstier than ever for electricity not to mention electrifying transport , industry, new loads like data centers etc. whatcha gonna do 🤷. Even if the energy itself was free (at the generators terminals) our power bills would only drop by 30-40% due to lines charges, retail margins, etc how will that news go down?

[@sambo4441]

@@pointlinesquare its a bit different when its a commercial entity that needs to generate profit. the flaw in privatising things like power and healthcare is that they have to be profitable so their is always a layer of fat you have to pay on top so some bloke on a board gets a nice holiday. theres no reason why the government cant operate things at a loss if it means the consumer is saving money, its not like that money isn't going to be spent elsewhere.

[@raymondlogan7807]

Were is Jenny Shipley, get her to explain why she destroyed all the Electric co. Ops.that were working and returning profits back to the shareholders.

[@dwee3005]

It always seems to be National party MP's which make the big mistakes. John Key is another great example. Look at our banking system and state housing thanks to him..

[@BamBam-uf4yi]

@@raymondlogan7807 Looks like Luxons following in there foot steps.

[@tonybolstad9514]

​@@dwee3005because Nats ideology is privatisation is always "right" 😢

[@Andrew-g2l]

Have we listen to this before with banking building materials petrol groceries and now power. All talk no reduction in prices to consumers. Higher tax take from government

[@warrenjohnknight.9831]

Exactly.

[@Kelvinpaul4]

Yes we have and from National and Labour, they seem more focused on the 3 year election cycle than long term infrastructure.

[@voulafisentzidis8830]

As a pensioner I now know what it is to freeze in winter. My daily rate charge in under two years has gone from 33 cents per day, to 60, to 90 - and that's before any power is used!

[@tonyberet309]

As a consumer, the electricity bill continues to rise. If the energy companies can make so much profit. A fair question is whether they overcharged the consumer.

[@ShirleyZhang-bt4dj]

Thats a question you might like to pitch to Megan Wood and the last Labour government and the Green Party policies.

[@AndrewWhitsed]

Wish Tame asked Brown why do we even have local governments and why does the mandate of central government supersede the policy mandates local government are elected on? And on Maori wards, would Brown be ok introducing referendums on central government policy even if that goes against what they campaigned on?

[@ruthholmes7304]

This exhausting to listen to. Simeon Brown . For God's sake answer the questions . So sick of hearing the fall back position " blame the previous government." It's hard to have any confidence that Brown and Co can deliver on anything.

[@paton57]

Imagine if it was Chloe

[@johnnygoggles6427]

Hard to answer questions when the interviewer is cutting you off half way through every sentence and talking over you

[@ruthholmes7304]

Yes I can. Her critical thinking abilities make her one of the best at answering questions in the house. She really does her homework.​@@paton57

[@TheFalconerNZ]

And the other BS answer was "We are fixed on ensuring backup supply" {not looking at long term solutions to reduce the drain on gentailers}

[@ShirleyZhang-bt4dj]

@@johnnygoggles6427 Exactly.This interview shows Jack Tames political biase.

[@jasonpoihegatama1347]

Don't need more competition, Need more investment money to build more energy supply. The investment money could have came from the NZ owned power stations. Instead the government at the time sold 49% of the shares, And if i recalled right it was sold at a price loss.

[@BamBam-uf4yi]

Lol he called it woke nonsense so you're out of luck.

[@jasonpoihegatama1347]

@@BamBam-uf4yi How is this so?

[@BamBam-uf4yi]

@@jasonpoihegatama1347 The Nats just about cancelled all labours projects or they placed them on hold the workforce has moved off shore or are about to. Next thing you know the NATs will get a Chinese loan and we'll become part of China. Poor Winston can't even speak te reo he'll have a heart attack if he has to learn Chinese.

[@jasonpoihegatama1347]

@@BamBam-uf4yi The lake Onslow project. This was the only energy project Labour had in place and this was at a very high cost. But i don't know how a small lake can produce much power if any at all im not going to lie.

[@BamBam-uf4yi]

@@jasonpoihegatama1347 it's not ment to produce power it is ment to be an energy storage system coming up on 70 to 80% efficiency.

[@brendonstack1835]

The more I watch of Simeon Brown the higher I rate him. We'll spoken clear answers. Keep up the great work 👍

[@Scot_Scientist]

NZ should triple its wind generation for 100% renewable electricity - "possible" with accelerated investment to meet a 2030 target, but not with "irresponsible" profiteering gentailers stalling wind farm projects since 2011.

[@alistermacpherson7120]

YOU must have missed your last Specsavers visit

[@ruthholmes7304]

He loves talking. No doubt about that. Why does he look like a stunned mullet when anyone disagrees with him? Only 38% of the country actually wanted National's vision for the country. Lots of people didnt. It's 2024 not 1980 Simeon.

[@Me-ui1zy]

The idea that this govt likes localism is so funny to me. Literally every policy they have regarding local govt is anti-localism. And the fast track legislation essentially silences local voices. It can be argued that that is a good thing, but don't call yourself a dog when you obviously are a horse.

[@tonybolstad9514]

Something fishy when the govt just won't look at promoting home solar. Is it because it will directly benefit the home owner rather than their big business buddies? 🤔🤔🤔

[@Scot_Scientist]

Solar is a good step forward but actually wind energy is a better fit with NZ seasonal demand. Other people promote solar and I wish them well but I'd point out that NZ should triple its wind energy generation - to something like 3.7GW. Rooftop solar and utility solar can clash because they always produce power at the exact same time. Too much of one makes investment in the other not such good value. Wind power is somewhat variable across the country.

[@lukecavit3140]

@@Scot_Scientist Why don't we use both?

[@pblchldy8082]

@@Scot_Scientist thats not the point of this question though. Home Solar benefits home owners and gives stronger self sufficient energy. Wind energy at home will costs significantly more to setup unless there is technology out there that allows home owners to set these up as opposed to solar.

[@Scot_Scientist]

@@lukecavit3140 We do use both wind & solar the world over. I was just pointing out that the New Zealand government shouldn't neglect buildng wind farms like previous governments have, for example for 10 years from 2011 to 2020 when wind farm building was badly stalled and NZ got left behind other pier countries like the UK and Ireland. But sure build solar. Solar is good.

[@Scot_Scientist]

@@pblchldy8082 I don't recommend home wind energy for urban or suburban homes. If you live on a farm that's different but that wasn't the point of my answer. You've raised the red herring of "home wind". I was thinking of utility wind power where NZ has fallen behind after wind farm building was badly stalled from 2011 to 2020 - since restarted but NZ has a lot of catching up to do with utility wind power.

[@diyguru9677]

Despite earning $7.6 billion in net profit after tax, the NZ electricity industry has paid out $10.8 billion to shareholders - including excess dividends of $4.2 billion - over the decade since the Key government's partial privatisation of Genesis, Mercury and Meridian. During this time, national generating capacity has increased by only one percent”, said FIRST Union Researcher and Policy Analyst Edward Miller.

[@growtocycle6992]

Criminal

[@ChrisJohnson-cg9sy]

Those huge profits - are they investing it into the infrastructure or is it just paying the board of directors and shareholders.

[@growtocycle6992]

No, they are not investing. Apart from a few tokenistic windmills

[@jinjaman101]

Who sold KIWI electricity to private toll collectors?????

[@HarmLessSolutionsNZ]

Firstly beyond the usual blame on the previous government spiel he then goes on to say that the Lake Onslow proposal was damaging because it caused the existing generators to pull back on developing new capacity. That to me sounds very much like the incumbent electricity suppliers sensing a threat to their cosy market dominance and then pulling whatever levers they could to ensure the failure of the project. Keep in mind that those generators are government owned so by association our government is restricting long term development of potential solutions to our electricity supply issues on multiple fronts. Secondly Jack pushed Simeon on the comparative cost effectiveness of developing a LNG terminal vs. blanket rooftop solar rollout. Of course Simeon played the irregular generation of solar but Jack countered that with the approach that solar can be used when available to mitigate hydro dam flows thereby utilising their significant storage capacity as a virtual battery. Simeon absolutely refuses to recognise this potental, instead doubling back on his claims that gas powered thermal generation is the only option NZ has to address the current generation shortfall. It must also be kept in mind that the way our electricity supply system structured the wholesale price is calculated every 30 minutes based on the most expensive generation method being used at that instant which in the case of peak loading is thermal gas or coal fired. That rate then applies to all generation being used at that time so is effectively a huge windfall for the hydro generators whose cost of generation is far less than what they can charge on the wholesale market. Yahoo... money in the bank! The strategy that Simeon Brown is proposing by pushing for thermal generation including by the use of even more costly imported LNG will effectively lock NZ consumers into higher prices for longer. Again this is an added windfall for the existing gentailers as well as restricting the viability of solar and wind capacity by the smaller players, who are stuck with selling their generation into a market biased by the huge advantages being enjoyed by their competitors and potentially onsellers of that generation. The system is well and truly broken and based on Simeon Brown's absolutely blinkered attitude in this interview it is unlikely this government will do anything to improve that situation.

[@cyrilsimmonds1507]

Totally agree

[@growtocycle6992]

Brilliantly put! This guy is ideologically driven... He believes oil and gas is the best option... It oozes from him

[@Scot_Scientist]

Still flogging Onslowsaurus, the dead dinosaur, after I @Scot_Scientist tweeted you a link 10 days ago to my blog post "New Zealand’s Battery Project: Onslow pumped hydro is too big, too expensive and too stupid" which explains in detail why it was not what it was cracked up to be and not worth the money?

[@HarmLessSolutionsNZ]

@@Scot_Scientist While your blog post criticising the Lake Onslow proposal pulls in plenty of science it, like Simeon's presentation above, seems oblivious to the current situation of NZ's big state owned generators using their market dominance to scuttle development of major works that would threaten the preferential pricing regulatory structure that they currently benefit strongly from. If you read my comment regarding the gentailers' exerting their dominance to see off a potential economic threat (i.e. Lake Onslow) to their present arrangement from that perspective it would also suggest that increased wind based generation will be difficult for the same reason. Political complications are the biggest hurdle to improvement of NZ's electricity sector and currently the incumbent big hydro based genretailers are essentially weaponising their hydro assets to both control wholesale prices and restrict entry by smaller generators and retailers. Unless the current situation of confluence of generation and retailing of electricity within these dominant corporations is addressed little is likely to improve for consumers and this interview of our energy minister would suggest that action along those lines is very unlikely.

[@Scot_Scientist]

@@HarmLessSolutionsNZ My tweets are highly focused on the stalling of wind farm building for 10 years from 2011 to 2020 under different governments from both main political parties. My blog post strongly advocates for wind power as as solution. Scuttling Onslow was the right call. Doesn't mean you have to vote for this guy though. I don't even get a vote. I'm just advising what's the right investment to make.

[@tommcg7564]

Why dont they use the same rationale with the billions of dollars in tax breaks they gave for their rich mates. Id gladly give back my $20 a week

[@rtvandle]

That 20 dollers is them paying you to take your country away from you, you just don't know it yet

[@jamesmartin4500]

I dont know why Jack even bothers interviewing anyone from the government. He knows it all, himself

[@LarryMilmine-e9r]

Simeon wasn't answering the questions. Very poor performance.

[@mattheweden-pc5pk]

The Wellington council is spending more money on nice to have and the water infrastructure is crumbling around the city and all they are doing is cycle lanes that nobody wants or cares about

[@dd2451]

@@mattheweden-pc5pk Dont mention the half billion suck Old Town Hall. I ride from Karori to the CBD to Oriental bay everyday for the past month. Have seen 1 cyclist in that period.

[@John.Leitch]

@@LarryMilmine-e9r That's politics 101. You never answer the questions unless it benefits your position. All of Jack's questions were leading to a gotcha moment. Any person with common sense would know that.

[@LarryMilmine-e9r]

@@John.Leitch That's problem mate. We don't care anymore about the lies and manipulation. It's become win at any cost by doing the least self-destructive move even if that involves lying and betraying the common people. But at the end day, as a consumer and someone trying to survive. I want to know why there's price gouging and I want politicians who give me confidence that things are going to get better.

[@pointlinesquare]

Loving these energy interviews at the moment they are stimulating some really good and hilarious commentary from the people, this video being a prime example. "Dry year problem" makes it sound infrequent, we're now i would say in the 6th year of a persistent energy shortage that unless we start storing and generating more energy and/or using less energy, will get worse. Its not that the lights will go off just the prices will go up so thats comforting. Like when your phone battery starts to crap out (insufficient storage) you spend more time either on the charger or with your phone dying and less time enjoying ya phone.

[@Scot_Scientist]

Triple wind energy generation up to 3.7GW - 1.1GW South Island, the rest North Island. Small (relative to Onslowsaurus) North Island pumped hydro.

[@tanepukenga1421]

@@Scot_Scientist matainence costs. We'd be far better with geothermal

[@Scot_Scientist]

@@tanepukenga1421 Maintenance costs for wind turbines etc. are not prohibitive but affordable. I support geothermal but NZ's exploitable geothermal resource is limited to a total of about 1.4GW. Gooble that 1.4GW up, sure, but don't stop building wind farms like NZ did stop for 10 wasted years from 2011 to 2020 - don't stop building until you treble NZ's wind power capacity from what it is now. Don't take "no" for an answer from profiteering gentailers. Build wind farms.

[@tanepukenga1421]

@@Scot_Scientist Yeah, it's just a shame with this government we've got at least 2 more years before it's likely to build up supply again.

[@pradeepmagan6951]

Consultants what a joke check out ministry of regulation

[@ooo-vc4xl]

"More user pays" - more bashing the poor. There wont be the corresponding increase in welfare transfers. This is effectively a POLL TAX.

[@ruthholmes7304]

In my experience those who complain the most about local govt so called extravagances actually expect to live in gold plated cities.

[@Kelvinpaul4]

The governments and energy industries have known for 20 years, energy shortages would be enviable and nothing was done. The energy sector is about short term profits, not building big budget infrastructure.

[@Scot_Scientist]

So true. NZ should triple its wind generation for 100% renewable electricity - "possible" with accelerated investment to meet a 2030 target, but not with "irresponsible" profiteering gentailers stalling wind farm projects since 2011.

[@glennwilkinson5035]

The biggest, glaring financial destructive element within the business of running New Zealand is health and safety. Ridiculous costs, do we see a stream of accidents and ambulances? No we don’t. Do. We see ambulances. Pouring off building sites. No we don’t. these ludicrous costs of health and safety could provide the health system with a new fully equipped modern hospital per week in this country. The enormous waste of time building infrastructure has a colossal drag on the economy., and from the emotional point of view,the attitude of we can do it ,has evaporated in front of our eyes, to a young group of men and woman, who not only have difficulty making up their minds, which way to go forward, but like the dodo have now lost the ability even to go Forward.

[@sunset5927]

Nats called out Labour for any fees increase, labelling them all taxes. Ute tax, app tax etc etc. Now Nats are increasing fees left, right and centre. Prescriptions, water, car rego increase, road tolls, the list goes on!!

[@joansouness7479]

Totally disappointed in the the constant rude interruptions by Jack Tame , he didn’t give Simeon Brown time to finish his responses . Well done Simeon for standing up to Jack in a polite manner. I was exhausted with frustration of Jack’s voice .

[@Alpinefolk]

Only when Simeon clearly wasn’t answering the question.

[@philip88154]

The removal of the four wellbeings is setting the stage for a further complete gutting of public services that will inevitably punish the poor.

[@saxandrelax6781]

I think jack spent too long in America...or not long enough!

[@W_Bin]

This is ridiculous. If everyone got wind and solar generation there'd be no huge profits for Simeon's mates to gouge and nothing for him to sell to his mates.

[@ooo-vc4xl]

Both central govt and local govt need to improve their spending. Neither is using socioeconomic cost benefit analysis on all of its spending (that is then made publicly available) to rank its spending priorities. National is guilty of slashing its financial knife about, damn the socioeconomic consequences. Local govt is guilty of spending on everything except critical infrastructure. Local govt is underfunded to the extent that central govt doesn’t pay rates on all its land and it imposes processes such as the RMA without any consideration of the implementation costs. But also many local govt areas are too small and uneconomic. NZ would be better off with fewer unitary authorities.

[@64jellybean]

I would have quite liked to listen to Simeon Brown, so it's a shame that the interview was once again hijacked by the interviewers childish, petulant antics to force his preconceived opinions to the fore. If he asked a question and kept his mouth shut and listen, then the viewers maybe able to gain the knowledge to reach their own conclusions.

[@kiwikiwi223]

Simeon doesn't even answer questions 😂. Another clown politician 😂

[@annahouston9528]

What about steam? We have big area's where we can do that.

[@NaturalExplorerNZ]

Northland is in the process of building a large geothermal plant I believe

[@fleurosea]

We have so many sources of power generation, so many more than other countries. We have wind, wave, dams, solar and geothermal. So many options that really out lower power costs should be an advantage for our products in a global market … but national more interested in fumbling the situation so they can make their buddies rich

[@annahouston9528]

@@fleurosea Totally agree!. That seems to be one of their mane goals, as well as a job with the big boys when this is over!

[@annahouston9528]

@@NaturalExplorerNZ That will be awesome!

[@IanRobinson-y4o]

Well done Simeon, you made Jack look very average by not allowing him to bully with half truth's and innuendo like he normally dose.

[@W_Bin]

When someone keeps repeating the same thing they are hiding something.

[@W_Bin]

Are they price gouging? We never got an answer. We never moved onto "well what are you going to do to stop the gouging right now"? What about a special tax on gouging profits? 100%?

[@Scot_Scientist]

Sounds fair. Reinvest such tax revenues in building up renewables to 100%.

[@solethesis]

Local water done well is far more expensive than 3 waters. Not only in terms of economy of scale. But in terms of cost of borrowing is far higher for a debt laiden council than the Central government.

[@alfvanderhulst8489]

I think many Kiwis get that. But the co-governance agenda attached to the scheme appears to have overshadowed the positives.

[@ShirleyZhang-bt4dj]

@@alfvanderhulst8489 Exactly. We never get the full story when it becomes political.

[@snotbubble2894]

Rubbish

[@fleurosea]

Councils can’t afford everything thing that’s coming due because at the end of the day it’s just squeezing you and I more and we’re all just getting by. Govt. needs to be more proactive and actually think to solve our problems but they’re too lazy to

[@louiethered479]

@@alfvanderhulst8489 Co-governances have existed for years. The opposition politicized it, and pulled out the race card, despite previous National governments introducing co-governance arrangements. Even Councils have them. Co-governance is a partnership only, it is not a take over like some falsely believe.

[@funbun6]

What a lousy Interviewer. Doesn't know the basics of interviews. An exchange of ideas between the two. Minister being interrupted non stop in an unpolite even rude way.

[@richardaustin3403]

Subsidize loans for solar. Fk the grid.

[@pradeepmagan6951]

The government owns most of the power companies and can order them to build more power stations

[@robertpaulin7175]

It is the majority shareholder. But likes the dividends.

[@tracymichaelsen493]

It's the obvious elephant in the room

[@philip88154]

the problem is that they are run as private companies. Their obligation is to maximise shareholder value rather than benefit the public.

[@tracymichaelsen493]

@@philip88154 major shareholders have the biggest cut and say. Govt benefits from it but we don't see it

[@GregGimblett]

Jack needs to listen , and stop talking over the top. Some of us want to hear the guest

[@diyguru9677]

Some of us would like the guest to answer the questions.

[@dave24-73]

Simeon missed the point, if record profits are being made, the Gentailers could take a hit on their profits to keep prices down, instead they push the prices up. The reason this is a concern is because they generally don’t put them down later on. There is clear profiteering going on as Mercury as an example went from 3 floors in Penrose, to a whole block in Newmarket. More competition doesn’t lower prices, as they simply follow each other. Price regulation is the only y to bring prices down.

[@rtvandle]

How long did it take to get an actual answer from simeon brown

[@christopherminto8209]

Councils pay for the water, roads and local social necessities of communities that are the people who deliver the production. But Govt collects the taxes from the profits of production and salaries from production. The problem is the Govt collects the taxes when the money is needed locally.

[@neilkemp9118]

Why doesn’t the interviewer just interview himself. Pain in the A.

[@ShirleyZhang-bt4dj]

Jack Tame ,yet again ,you talk over the interviewee when Simeon Brown is giving an answer or explanation.Jack Tame ,all you want to do is dominate the interview with your own ideology or narrative. I never saw Jack Tame giving Jacinda Adern a hard time,I wonder why ?

[@tracymichaelsen493]

@@ShirleyZhang-bt4dj Giving an answer to an asked question isn't an answer. He finally answered. It's the govts fault. The crisis is a problem designed by them to make money. Solving problems doesn't make money. Creating problems does.

[@mattheweden-pc5pk]

He likes the sound of his voice, he thinks he right, the government should take control of the power grid

[@John.Leitch]

@@tracymichaelsen493 lol you don't understand politics. you should never answer the question unless it benefits your narrative.

[@tracymichaelsen493]

@@John.Leitch I understand that politics is about money for the few controlled by the few and upheld on the backs of the many.

[@ShirleyZhang-bt4dj]

@@tracymichaelsen493 Friend,I suggest you take a course in basic economics .You are probably Left leaning,probably a Green Party supporter with their weird ideology regards economics.

[@HarryWRHarris]

2 Australian States have 50-85% solar,wind power, they've also building more battery storage, other States are at 25-65%, while coal is being phased out gas is still used as backup.

[@adamirish-yb7rj]

Their talk of the market delivering cheaper power is nonsense. The market is working right now and delivering, and this is the price we are now paying. The market didn't build any of those electricity assets to begin with. The only thing the market is good at is buying preexisting assets that the government took all the risk to build and buying them at a discount. A company could get together shareholders now and float a company to buy and build a new dam but its not going to happen because the capital returned and the risk is way too high for any private investor to manage. Power should be treated like roading and the government should be investing in it to actually deliver more. Business becomes completely uneconomical with high energy prices.

[@timsnow966]

What a narrow view of the issue. Typical Nats thinking

[@vanessasomerville7036]

So he says we highest in world. England and Europe didn’t have enough power and yet we are paying more!!

[@wimokaharawira8443]

Oh energy shortage not excessive profit margins 😂😂😂 This is a National policy if I'm not mistaken. Saling off the energy sector because private management gets better results? I wonder how many mom pop inviters ended up buying?

[@Alpinefolk]

When Jack asked about investing in solar and using existing hydro as a battery Simeon looked like it had never crossed his mind. Too focused on how to increase thermal or Fossil fuels. Jack is 100% correct we can do it with renewables if we are smart about when we use what generation. Nice to hear questions about how increase in LPG will affect their emissions budget.

[@nickyweav5820]

Solar doesn’t produce at the peak times … doesn’t start until 9am and finishes around 4 pm. Peak is at 7-8 am and 6-7 pm.. love solar just also need storage to make use of it

[@julianhussenet7633]

Jack speaking for the bureaucracy rather than the ratepayers. Says it all really.

[@DanafoxyVixen]

lets not kid ourselves... you never liked Jack

[@icehawke543]

I think it says what you're wanting it to say. Can we guarantee that councils having less power will result in better investment in towns/cities? Is the rates issue a result of mismanagement from councils or is it a result of under investment into infrastructure over time? It seems like we are all footing the bill for decades of under investment rather than councils being unable to manage finances. More funding from central government would be a better alternative than removing powers from councils.

[@julianhussenet7633]

@@DanafoxyVixen he loves the sound of his own voice. That’s for sure.

[@adamjoshuahughes3971]

OMFG. Simeon is beyond irritating. What an utter waffle

[@paton57]

Yes Chloe lover

[@alfvanderhulst8489]

I'd rather have irritating but realistic and competent than a soothing voice hiding incompetence.

[@ShirleyZhang-bt4dj]

@@alfvanderhulst8489 Exactly..This interview shows Jack Tames political biase.

[@allanevans646]

Good work from Simeon patiently answering stupid questions from Jack who has no concept of the problem.

[@Alpinefolk]

@@allanevans646lol. What was Simeons answer to investing In solar and using hydro as a battery? Why hasn’t he had advice on that? How much will increasing gas affect their emissions budget? What levers are the government going to pull to ease this crisis? We do t know because Simeon didn’t adequately answer the questions. He looked like a stunned mullet when asked because I don’t think he has honestly considered anything his oil mates haven’t told him. He is an incompetent minister tied to ideology and damn any evidence or alternatives.

[@thierryso9743]

He's like little kid with no manners , he's not letting people talk

[@BamBam-uf4yi]

How can Auckland council fix the potholes while Auckland transport installs 600 speed bumps which undermine the structure of the road that the council is trying to fix.

[@pointlinesquare]

So the price of electricity being high will encourage investment in new generation/storage, but new generation/storage will tend to bring the price of electricity down so we shouldn't overdo it. 🤔 Coo coo coo coo...

[@MaverickNZ]

Like all decisions this govt have made they haven't even looked at alternatives to energy. It's been 100% about more gas since before they were elected. We could be 100% self sufficient with energy with the potential sustainable generation we have in nz even if all/most was of transport was converted to electric. More solar means less hydro needed so the water stays in the lake for times when solar generation is low. But that method doesn't work in the current market where the aim is to maximise profit not maximise efficiency

[@Scot_Scientist]

Market profiteering because of light-touch regulation and weak government not laying down the law in the public interest. Wind + hydro works even better for NZ but solar is pretty good too.

[@chrisphillips6106]

We have a generation shortage. Imagine if the government put in place a scheme where they install solar panels on every residential property. The panels can then be paid off over 5 years by the household.

[@geecee1288]

Great interview by Simeon, even got to push back Jack, nice.

[@BamBam-uf4yi]

Instead of burning the gas use a fuel cell. This governments all about efficiency and saving the NZ buck.

[@karlbarkley9572]

New Zealand already has Natural Gas Well's Operational in Taranaki On & Off Shore ! How much Time would it take to Drill More Productive Well's to add to what Is Already in use !

[@SteveStevenson-tg2mb]

They dont need to do a thing, we'll get used to the new high energy prices, just like we got used to the high fuel costs, high grocery costs and high housing costs.

[@radioguy534]

Can not stand Jack Tame as and interviewer, needs to keep his mouth shut and listen to the answers.

[@philip88154]

It's great when journalists have done their research and can call out the interviewers when they try to mislead the public like at 20:13. We need more journalists like him

[@warrenmartin2982]

He is a twit Jake the Activist. No manners because BIASED No respect either from many NZ tired of his spin

[@chrisrutherfurd9338]

Jack has all the answers, again...

[@kiwikiwi223]

More answers than Simeon 😂

[@NaturalExplorerNZ]

Listen to the interview with the gun lobbiest lady from Act. He can't understand the difference between a high capacity magazine for a gun and a removable magazine. It's shows how being confident and talking over people can make you seem right about things

[@DanafoxyVixen]

to be fair it was hard for Jack to get a word in

[@NaturalExplorerNZ]

​@@kiwikiwi223it goes both ways I think too. Simeon tried the usual deflections and Jack seemed to have some pre-ordained facts about what the situation is

[@kiwikiwi223]

@NaturalExplorerNZ he's dealing with politicians who barely answer anything lol. Most of the time they purposefully don't answer questions at all or honestly as they know the answer will make them look bad

[@JamesClark-cg1qk]

Power is expensive because lakes are low and Labour banned gas exploration, which is used to boost generation. Nothing to do with privitisation.

[@1ishkar]

The rates in Central Otago went up $850 this year with no warning our council does not know how to budget when times are tough or they’re not feeling The hard Times it on their wage

[@MTNGear]

If the profits are so high why arent a bunch of companys jumping in and creating generation capacity. My guess is the governments and councils make it too hard

[@tuahnreynolds]

Jack is so focused on getting an answer to his single point and clearly not open to listening and allowing his listeners to hear the entire story.

[@davidalexanderlourie4371]

I thought the reason for not further developing geothermal was an energy oversupply. We should be using geothermal before fossil fuels.

[@Scot_Scientist]

New Zealand should triple its wind generation (up to 3.7GW, 1.1GW South Island, the rest North Island) for 100% renewable energy electricity - "possible" with accelerated investment to meet a 2030 target, but not with "irresponsible" profiteering gentailers stalling wind farm projects since 2011.

[@League_life]

Just excuses mate while the rich get richer!

[@sherylnewton6925]

Bring on the free energy 🙃😉

[@blairmarshall8515]

Has everyone forgotten about geothermal energy production?

[@TheFalconerNZ]

If every house was energy self sufficient housing (yes it needs support from generators) was producing just 30% of it's daily need it would reduce the demand on suppliers freeing that supply for business BUT it comes with 2 major issues that governments (both of them) don't want to admit, 1st they get reduced income from the gentailers New Zealanders house holders will be using 30% less power & 2nd if there is no large demand for energy from new generation supply gentailers companies will not have the incentive to invest & build new generation because with no real demand prices are low so it would take a long time to recoup investment & investors want quick returns on investments to appease shareholders

[@growtocycle6992]

They have the audacity to charge people with solar panels for infrastructure. 🙄

[@davidneal6920]

Looking at them both the real question is why Simeon and Jack failed to admit they have the same mother. Their Mum bought their suits Christmas 2022 as part of a Hallensteins ‘2 for 1 deal’. IRD also get their suits from Hallensteins as part of the All of Government Procurement scheme

[@killerangel4613]

Go hard Jack 😊

[@ooo-vc4xl]

There are no scales of economy for rooftop solar. It would require government subsidies to get the installation to happen.

[@jtonline99]

Simeon learnt a few big words, can regurgitate them quickly, but sounds like a broken record just like Luxon...

[@hamishanderson3739]

Another shocking interview from a so called “journalist”.

[@everardwhangapirita]

When inflation is part of the issue you’d expect the rate to be at least 4x.

[@tofugypsy2021]

I love solar, but the sun doesn't shine at night, my caravan has a lot of solar panels , but the gas cooker and diesel heater have their respective places.

[@frankphipps]

Or cut demand, more home solar, more fire places in homes, less electric cars

[@rangisullivan1591]

Donal trump logic not backed with any monetary quotes

[@mra4955]

solar and wind zealots just dont stop do they. they simply cannot listen to what is being said about the reality of energy supply. simeon attempts to educate jack, but all jack can say in response is 'solar panels bro' and changes the subject.

[@feesullivan3439]

2.2 million spent on a bus stop ?????? wtf 🤬

[@badchefi]

That’s all you heard in the 28 minutes? No wonder we are screwed😂

[@BlairPittams]

Australia looks nice We're screwed, Pretty sure he's wearing lipstick

[@LynetteLovini-Riki]

Does government own majority shares in the 4 largest power company.?

[@LynetteLovini-Riki]

The gentaliers government is majority so are they not keeping the water levels low so they get more money as that's what they care more for than all New Zealanders.

[@geotruthnz7013]

Jack Tame is a clown, get rid of the ETS first and get rid of the woke thinking

[@stephenjones8114]

Brown confuses competition and capitalization for the purpose of securing National’s coal/gas/oil infatuation (corruption?) at the expense of climate change. The problem with renewables is inconsistency, therefore, gas is needed, he argues. What about tidal energy generation, as is being increasingly used in Europe? This is constant, and remains consistent even when all the gas has been converted into greenhouse emissions. Its introduction is not facilitated by competition, however, but by capitalization. Which capitalization no competitive enterprise can and will undertake because it is not competitive. Hence the wrong headed, environmentally dangerous and irresponsible insistence by this government in rejecting MMT. There is nothing preventing governments printing money to capitalize such ventures. Instead this government pours carbon into the atmosphere while telling us not to catastrophize, oblivious to the fact that the Kyoto 1.5 c red line is already being crossed.

[@tonymunro5693]

The energy companies have know since 1992 ,at least, that they needed to increase production and updaate their systems to cope with the lack of water for hydro.So what have they done and why?Ansswer, they have done very little. WHY?Answer ..well why would any company change a system that allows them to increase their profits 3 fold when there's low rain fall?There is absolutely no incentive for them to fix anything and as a major benefactor of the company the government ,both major parties, has been complicite

[@Scot_Scientist]

To be fair, PM Clark's government got them building wind farms - but they stalled building for 10 years from 2011 under governments from both parties. Governments need to regulate with a firmer hand, not take "no" and excessive profiteering for an answer. If all else fails, government could nationalise and do the job itself.

[@user-mv7dd9xh2e]

for gos sake build a new hydro station we gun a need it sooner or later and its cheeper now than never. get on with it and build it it critical we can supply energy too companies and a cheep rate to get investment into NZ , ie manufacturing witch employ people and sustain immigration growth , just build it we need it

[@Scot_Scientist]

Is that you Ben? Ben also spells "cheap" with two "e"s.

[@pointlinesquare]

2:26 good point sir the market would not like 100% renewable electricity because then with 100% free fuel there is no justification for high prices. Any percentage of thermal in the market seems to be code for "we have a shortage of energy therefore prices should be high."

[@warrenjohnknight.9831]

Sadly Sadly BLAH BLAH blah blah.