Government spends up to 20 times more money on wooing oil and gas companies to New Zealand than it does on promoting renewable energy, newly released figures show.
The disproportionate funding was justified, Government officials said, because of the large royalties paid by petroleum companies. The Green Party said it further confirmed the Government's misplaced priorities.
In a briefing for a Parliamentary select committee, officials said the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) and the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA) spent between $20,000 and $40,000 in each of the last two financial years on promoting "natural energy sources".
A similar level of expenditure was expected in the next financial year.
The money was mostly spent on attending and hosting renewable energy conferences. In 2014-15, the level of funding rose to $60,000 to cover the costs of hosting the World Geothermal Congress.