New Zealand has "lined up with MAGA US states" on oil and gas policy, according to the former boss of Marsden Point refinery, in a stark assessment of the government's energy direction.
The comments, reported by RNZ, come as the Luxon government reverses climate policies and embraces fossil fuel exploration—a dramatic shift from New Zealand's previous positioning as a climate leader in the Pacific.
The former refinery executive's criticism carries weight. Marsden Point, New Zealand's only oil refinery, ceased refining operations in 2022 and converted to an import terminal—a decision that left the nation entirely dependent on imported refined fuel. The closure was controversial, raising questions about energy security that the current government has seized upon to justify expanded oil and gas development.
But the comparison to MAGA states—Republican-governed US jurisdictions that have resisted climate action and doubled down on fossil fuels—is deliberately provocative. It suggests New Zealand is abandoning its climate commitments and aligning with the most regressive energy policies in the developed world.
The government argues it's pursuing energy security and economic growth. Ministers point to the closure of Marsden Point as evidence that previous climate policies were unrealistic and left New Zealand vulnerable. They've opened new offshore areas for oil and gas exploration and signaled support for fossil fuel infrastructure projects.
Critics counter that this is climate denialism dressed up as pragmatism. New Zealand is a Pacific nation, surrounded by island states facing existential threats from rising seas. Aligning with fossil fuel expansion while Pacific neighbors literally sink sends a brutal message about whose interests matter.
Mate, there's a whole continent and a thousand islands down here that are watching what does. When a Pacific nation that once championed climate action starts sounding like or , that's noticed in , , and —places where climate change isn't a political debate, it's an encroaching disaster.
