You are all thinking about "the economic output of xyz industry", but none of you are considering the economic impact of not acting on climate change. Sea levels are now rising at 3.2mm a year and the trend is increasing
https://climate.nasa.gov/vital-signs/sea-level/. That could put a lot of NZ coastal cities under water really quickly and flood many areas which are flood prone/low lying. Arguments of "but it will destroy an industry" which makes up only 2-3% of our economy have to be thought of in this context. You cannot viably bury your head in the sand thinking about one side of the equation. In basic terms - we cannot be upset that fuel for BBQs are going to cost more when industries which support 90% of our economy are in crisis. We need to be forward thinking rational actors who see problems, prioritise them and cut those which threaten the majority of our future.
As a result of this impending emergency, we (even arguably right wing National saw it) have signed up to international agreements to limit our emissions, and if we don't limit our emissions, we pay big time:
http://www.newshub.co.nz/home/money/...t-westpac.html. In the context of that Westpac report and many others indicating the economic impact of climate change, the impact of inaction or of accelerating our GHG emissions is huge. So signalling intent to remove dirty energy from our energy makeup is just what is needed right now. Yes, we don't want future exploration or pumping of oil because this will directly affect our bottom line climate pledges which will cost us billions in the future. Expensive hot water/heating/BBQs will encourage people to switch to electric, which is fantastic in NZ as our current and future energy requirements can be easily met with renewables.
And I don't agree, yet, that this government is completely sabotaging industries without a plan. Hopefully they will put NZ on a path of encouraging investment in clean tech and future tech which will ensure NZs future is bright. If their plans do not point in this direction, then I completely agree that they have f'ed us. But its too early to say yet as all policy is not decided in the first 6 months of governing. Looking back on Nationals plans, I can't say they thought of the future very hard. It seemed more like they just wanted to expand NZs current operations despite their environmental impact (more roads/more dairy/more drilling for oil/gas). What they should have been doing is serious investments in future tech and clean tech in niche markets. We need to look to the Xeros/FPHs and invest in industries like renewables/robotics/AI/meat and milk substitutes (sunfed meats as an example), if we really want to help our economy long term. The future for NZ cannot be oil and gas.