On the 11th of August 2008 I received a reply to my Earth Day Call. Below I have typed out the letter and you can also see the attached pdf document if you would like.
Dear James Turner
Thank you for your email to my office, dated 22 April 2008, regarding energy efficiency and renewable energy. I admire your resolve to make New Zealand a more sustainable place.
The government is committed to ensuring the country has a reliable supply of low-emission energy. In fact, the recently released New Zealand Energy Strategy sets the target for New Zealand to use 90 percent renewable electricity by 2025. The New Zealand Energy Strategy can be downloaded from www.med.govt.nz.
As you also mention in your letter, solar water heating has the potential to significantly contribute to household energy savings. The government currently offers grants of up to $1000 to install solar water heating and other energy efficient water heating systems in both new and existing homes. To find our more about the governments solar water heating grants please visit www.energywise.govt.nz/solar.
Additionally, the government is committed to improving the energy efficiency of New Zealand homes, enabling the introduction of alternative vehicle technologies such as electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids and continuing the uptake of renewable sources of energy generation, including wind, hydro, bio energy and geothermal. To find out more about these initiatives and about the range of grants and other forms of support that the government offers please visit www.eeca.govt.nz.
I am proud of the steps that New Zealand has taken so far and of our well deserved reputation as a world leader when it comes to addressing both sustainability and climate change.
Yours sincerely
Hon David Parker
Minister of Energy
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