Energy strategies for New Zealand
The government’s energy strategies support the New Zealand energy sector.
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Wood Energy Strategy
Production forestry is New Zealand’s largest renewable biomass resource and there are opportunities to make greater use of forestry residues and wood processing co-products to create home-grown, secure and affordable energy.
The Government wants to enable further investment in the wood energy sector and has published a Wood Energy Strategy which describes the Government’s vision and objectives for the sector.
Wood Energy Strategy [PDF 6.4MB]
The supporting Action Plan shows the current work underway to achieve our objectives.
Government Statement on Biogas
The Government supports the establishment of a renewable gas market in New Zealand.
Biogas is one of these renewable energy sources that are more readily available, and could strengthen our energy security, offering a lower carbon alternative for some sectors and creating new opportunities for innovation and investment.
In October 2025, we published a Government Statement on Biogas with the aim of reiterating Government’s commitment to supporting the development of a domestic biogas market in New Zealand.
Draft Geothermal Strategy
The Government has developed a draft Geothermal Strategy for New Zealand to unlock the potential of New Zealand’s geothermal resources to support energy resilience and regional and Māori economic development. The draft strategy covers applications from electricity generation through to tourism and innovative scientific projects.
Submissions on the draft strategy closed in September 2025 and the strategy is currently being refined following feedback. The final Geothermal Strategy for New Zealand will be released in the coming months.
New Zealand Energy Strategy
The Government is developing a New Zealand Energy Strategy to support the transition to a low carbon economy, address strategic challenges in the energy sector, and signal pathways away from fossil fuels.
New Zealand Energy Efficiency and Conservation Strategy
The New Zealand Energy Efficiency and Conservation Strategy 2017-2022 (NZEECS) sets the overarching policy direction for government support and intervention for promoting energy efficiency, energy conservation and the use of renewable sources of energy. It remains in force until it is replaced and is currently being reviewed.
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Previous energy strategy work
More information on previous energy strategy work.