Overall Way Forward
Work in Progress
100. As noted above, work is already underway to strengthen existing policy settings in specific areas, e.g. more active steps to promote energy efficiency and renewables are being addressed in the context of the NEECS, and issues relating to sustainable transport and oil are being addressed as part of an emerging work programme led by the Ministry of Transport.
101. Significant improvements have been and are continuing to be made in other key areas as part of ongoing work programmes, e.g. effective and well-regulated electricity and gas markets, climate change policy and the Resource Management Act.
102. It is important to continue to place this work in the wider context of what the government is trying to achieve in sustainable energy so that connections can be made across areas. This should also help ensure that momentum is not lost in making the improvements discussed above. These are both important and pressing.
103. This report also proposes further investigation in some cross-cutting areas, namely:
- the contribution of research, science and technology to sustainable energy;
- public awareness of sustainable energy issues;
- the availability and quality of information to inform sustainable energy policies;
- "transition management" approaches to sustainable energy;
- the potential for government procurement decisions to contribute to sustainable energy.
Sustainable Energy Strategy
104. An issue emphasised strongly during stakeholder engagement was the need for the government to articulate a clearer strategy for achieving sustainable energy objectives.
105. Those who took this view acknowledged that while Sustainable Energy provided a useful context for a discussion about sustainable energy what was now needed was a more detailed set of actions the government would take both now and over time to achieve its objectives.
106. Implicit in such calls is the view that the government should take a more deliberate approach to creating a sustainable energy future. It was also apparent from the engagement that there was still a lack of appreciation about the breadth of the government's sustainable energy programme.
107. Officials see merit in continuing to explain government policies and programmes against the wider context of sustainable energy. By mid to late 2006, it should be possible to provide an update of policy and other developments since the first document was published and thus be less speculative about ways forward. Officials recommend that the need for, and scope of, a possible follow-up document be considered in early 2006 in the light of progress in the work proposed by this report.
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