How we’ll get there
To deliver on the strategy’s vision, outcomes and energy goal, a set of focused action areas have been identified. These action plan goals represent the practical levers through which progress will be driven – ensuring the right foundations, capabilities and collaborations are in place.
On this page
Five action plan goals have been developed to focus activity (and potentially investment) to drive the outcomes sought through this strategy.
Action plan goals
- Improving access to geothermal data and insights.
- Ensuring regulatory and system settings are fit for purpose.
- Advancing knowledge and uptake of geothermal technologies.
- Enabling place-based geothermal clusters.
- Driving science, research and innovation, including supercritical geothermal technology.
Improving access to geothermal data and insights
Unlocking geothermal potential begins with better access to data. High drilling costs and risks can be compounded by limited availability of historical and real-time geothermal data. Further, high costs and limited access to modern mapping technologies can restrict our understanding of lower temperature resource. Establishing a baseline of publicly available data (including identifying key gaps) will be the starting point to catalyse interest, reduce uncertainty, foster competition, and unlock new development opportunities across New Zealand.
Ensuring regulatory and system settings are fit for purpose
Existing regulatory frameworks have supported conventional geothermal development, but emerging technologies and applications – such as supercritical geothermal – require a future-ready approach. There is an opportunity to recalibrate resource management and planning systems to ensure they are enabling, adaptive, and sustainable, while supporting innovation and long-term environmental stewardship. The current resource management reforms present an opportunity to support the ambition of this strategy. Beyond resource management, the strategy also provides an opportunity to revise existing geothermal regulatory frameworks (with some regulations dating back to 1961).
It is also prudent to ensure that protected geothermal fields and our globally significant surface features remain protected and a taonga to the nation. Recognising their unique value, and their contribution to wellbeing, tourism and regional economies, is central to our strategy.
Ensuring our wider system settings deliver for the future is also important. Our geothermal sector relies upon a durable talent pipeline, strong international partnerships and collaborative relationships across the sector, government and tāngata whenua.
Advancing knowledge and uptake of geothermal technologies
Despite New Zealand’s globally significant geothermal resource, our uptake of direct and indirect use geothermal technologies – such as industrial heat, district heating, and agricultural applications – lags behind international leaders. Targeted education, feasibility assessments, and demonstration projects (including government-user and public-private partnerships) can accelerate adoption and showcase the economic and environmental benefits of geothermal heat.
Enabling place-based geothermal clusters
Regional geothermal clusters can drive innovation, investment and localised benefits. Government can play a role by enabling coordination and collaboration among landowners, tāngata whenua, local authorities, industry, investors and developers. Tools may include place-based planning, co-investment models, and tailored incentives to support collaborative development and maximise regional value.
Driving science, research and innovation, including supercritical geothermal technology
The Government has made a significant commitment to the ambitious supercritical geothermal exploration project.[13] This will lay the foundation for future breakthroughs in next-generation geothermal technologies. It will be important to understand the role of the reformed science system in supporting ongoing geothermal science, research and innovation.
Draft action plan for stakeholder feedback
Indicative actions, under each of the action plan goals, have been included in the draft action plan to illustrate what government (and industry) activities and initiatives could look like to deliver the strategy.[14]
Footnotes
[13] Government gaining ground in pursuit of supercritical geothermal energy(external link) — Beehive.govt.nz
[14] Note: Once the strategy is finalised, any action requiring government funding will be subject to normal budget processes.