Draft action plan

Improving access to geothermal data and insights

Proposed actions

Horizon 1 (2025 to 2026)

• Establish a baseline of publicly available data (including identifying key gaps).
• Commission data insights report for the geothermal sector.

Horizon 2 (2027 to 2028)

• Investigate appropriate mechanism(s) for ongoing provision of geothermal data to a central repository.
• Consider the need for Crown involvement in further exploration or modelling.
• Investigate the need for further low heat geothermal mapping.

Horizon 3 (2029 onwards)

• Potential Crown-led exploration.

Ensuring regulatory and system settings are fit for purpose

Proposed actions

Horizon 1 (2025 to 2026)

• Clarify the application of the Crown Minerals Act 1991 to minerals in geothermal fluid.
• Ensure that the new planning and environment legislation enables the sustainable use of geothermal resources, including carbon capture utilisation and storage.
• Consider and respond to the Waitangi Tribunal’s findings regarding Wai 2358 (when released).
• Establish sector strategy implementation group.
• Explore whether ETS industrial allocation settings are acting to limit uptake of geothermal heat.
• Clarify the functions and responsibilities for wider geothermal regulations including geothermal well construction, maintenance and abandonment.

Horizon 2 (2027 to 2028)

• Ensure geothermal regulatory frameworks are fit for purpose (including the Geothermal Energy Regulations 1961 and those required for supercritical geothermal).
• Explore the role of policy direction for managing geothermal resource (e.g. national direction).
• Work with the education sector to strengthen geothermal career pathways to support an ongoing talent pipeline.
• Utilise New Zealand’s geothermal expertise and advantage to strengthen bilateral relations.

Horizon 3 (2029 onwards)

• Investigate the appropriateness of field classifications (following data collation undertaken in horizons 1-2).
• Consider system-wide funding mechanisms.

Advancing knowledge and uptake of geothermal technologies

Proposed actions

Horizon 1 (2025 to 2026)

• Promote the role of geothermal in the energy transition (across the heat spectrum) from 2026.
• Support the development of a geoheat information package for businesses looking to use direct geothermal heat for industrial/process heat.

Horizon 2 (2027 to 2028)

• Explore mechanisms to pilot technology for commercial and residential developments.

Horizon 3 (2029 onwards)

• Explore transitioning government users to geothermal technologies.

Enabling place-based geothermal clusters

Proposed actions

Horizon 1 (2025 to 2026)

• Work with geothermal customers, developers, investors, iwi, hapū and Māori landowners to grow geothermal opportunities in New Zealand.
• Explore how zoning provisions and new spatial planning provisions can facilitate increased investment and coordination across geothermal economic activity.
• Explore options to develop a Geothermal Centre of Excellence (industry, iwi and hapū, landowners, academia and government) to encourage collaboration, information sharing and accelerate R&D.
• Identify geothermal tourism opportunities in Taupō and Tarawera regions, in partnership with iwi to support Māori economic development.

Horizon 2 (2027 to 2028)

• Explore opportunities and potential incentives for manufacturers and other sectors (including tourism) to cluster or relocate.

Driving science, research and innovation, including supercritical geothermal technology

Proposed actions

Horizon 1 (2025 to 2026)

• Undertake drilling programme for supercritical geothermal on first test well site.

Horizon 2 (2027 to 2028)

• Explore the role of the reformed science system in supporting geothermal science.
• Explore options and secure funding/investment for second supercritical geothermal exploration well.

Horizon 3 (2029 onwards)

• Develop geothermal technologies to support and install supercritical geothermal power station and connect to successful well sites.

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