LNG Import Facility: MBIE's LNG redactions revealed (after an Ombudsman investigation)

Almost six months after the original OIA request and an Ombudsman finding in our favour, we have received the unredacted version of the consultant’s report referenced by the Government as part of its decision to proceed with procuring an LNG import facility off the Taranaki coast.

Below we explain what has happened, and what the unredacted information shows. As we explain, none of the information now revealed is new: it reinforces the risks made by advocacy groups for months, including in the recent letter to the Auditor-General. However, it is now clear that the Government has known about these risks from the beginning and has attempted to minimise them, including by refusing to release the information. 

What’s happenEd?

On 20 February 2026, Lawyers for Climate Action and the New Zealand Climate Foundation urgently requested a copy of a consultant's report referenced by the Government as part of its decision to proceed with procuring LNG.

On 13 April MBIE provided a redacted version of the document. Lawyers for Climate Action and the New Zealand Climate Foundation filed a complaint with the Ombudsman over the decision to withhold critical conclusions from the modelling.

Following this complaint, on 10 June, MBIE partially unredacted the document, revealing conclusions from the consultants like "there is low need for LNG."

However, given that many of the key conclusions remained unredacted, Lawyers for Climate Action and the New Zealand Climate Foundation pursued the complaint with the Ombudsman, who released the findings of their investigation on 3 August. The Ombudsman found that:

• The information redacted was contextual information and MBIE should not have refused the request. 

• It was not clear why the withholding ground would apply to the remaining redactions in particular - that is, why MBIE considered that the remaining information requires protection over the information that had already been released.

• That there is a public interest in the information being released, considering the accountability required in the expenditure of public funds, and in particular in an election year. The Ombudsman stated that:

“It heightens the interest in knowing more about the rationale behind the quality of the government’s decision making, which could help to inform the public on how they wish to vote, in order to shape the New Zealand government beyond this year.

the full release of information

On 12 August, MBIE released the full, unredacted document. What was unredacted raises questions about why the Government has fought for nearly six months to keep the information from being made public. Some of the key conclusions of Concept Consulting which were redacted include: 

• Access to LNG shouldn’t materially affect electricity prices, unless it results in increased average NZ gas prices. 

• There are alternatives that can provide a similar system security service to LNG. Modelled options include: coal at Huntly, additional underground gas storage such as the proposed Tariki field, building additional new geothermal, wind and solar. 

• There is a risk that local gas prices might increase up to LNG prices and increase average electricity prices. / Relying on imported LNG would significantly increase this dependence on international energy prices 

• The modelling is based on “probably excessively" conservative  assumptions about upstream deliverability of gas for power generation.

what does this mean?

None of this is new information. It reinforces risks that have been made by advocacy groups for months, including in the recent letter to the Auditor-General. However, what is now clear is that the Government has known from the beginning about these risks and has attempted to minimise them, including by refusing to release the information. 

As we stated in the letter sent to the Auditor-General earlier this week, the decision-making and procurement process for the LNG import facility has been unnecessarily lacking in transparency and rushed towards an artificial deadline. 

We reiterate what we have said since the LNG Terminal was announced. It does not have to be this way, and there is still time to change course. We strongly encourage the Government to take stock and assess what is in the best interests of New Zealanders and our long-term future.

For further inquiry, contact Laura@lawyersforclimateaction.nz.