September 03, 2015
Peters backs Statoil search
Northland MP Winston Peters says Norwegian oil company Statoil should be given a chance to find out whether there are oil or gas fields off the region worth exploiting.
Company executives last week explained their plans to Northland Regional Council and its Taitokerau Maori Advisory committee.
Greenpeace campaigner Mike Smith has attacked the consultation, accusing the company of using its cheque book to divide iwi.
Mr Peters says the issue featured in the Northland by-election, but objectors haven’t done their research.
"Statoil is the state of Norway, it is all the Norwegian people. They own it, 100 percent, and they are heading towards to a trillion dollars in savings and reserves because of their policies while we are going broke, so that was my response then and it is now. It doesn't mean we go ahead. It only means we go ahead if finding it we can tick off the next three boxes: environmental sustainability; what's in it for my country, and it's got to be far better than what's in it now; and what is good for the province of Northland," he says.
New Zealand First has a policy that at least 25 percent of oil revenues should go back to the regions they come from.
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