Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority chair Elena Trout and new appointee John Carnegie. Photo: RNZ
The chair of the country's main energy-saving agency was unhappy about the government's plans to appoint a fossil fuel lobbyist to her board, RNZ has learned.
Long-standing chair Elena Trout expressed "reservations" to officials at the energy ministry about the appointment of John Carnegie to the board of the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA) because of his previous public statements.
RNZ has previously revealed that former Energy Minister Simeon Brown overrode official advice to appoint the lobbyist in December, despite Carnegie not making the cut during either of two rounds of interviews.
Now his former ministry has confirmed that Trout "did express reservations about Mr Carnegie's public statements" to the ministry.
Trout is a civil engineer and an experienced director who has been a board member of EECA since 2013 and chair since 2019.
RNZ approached her for comment through EECA but was told the agency does not comment on appointments.
In response to an Official Information Act query from RNZ, the ministry also said it "specifically considered Mr Carnegie's interests and whether these would result in a conflict of issue and provided advice to the Minister on this".
RNZ has previously revealed officials recruiting for the board role twice tried to exclude the fossil fuel lobbyist from the running - first after an initial screening, and a second time after Brown instructed them to interview Carnegie despite him already having been excluded from the shortlist.
EECA was established by the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Act 2000 to encourage, promote, and support energy efficiency, energy conservation and the use of renewable sources of energy. A big part of its role is promoting renewable energy, and supporting cleaner alternatives to fossil fuels.
Carnegie is chief executive of Energy Resources Aotearoa - formerly the Petroleum Exploration and Production Association - and has been a leading voice for the repeal of the ban on offshore oil and gas exploration as well as support and subsidies to make fossil fuel drilling more attractive.
Brown appointed accountant Vijay Goel to the board at the same time as Carnegie.
Goel's appointment also came after Brown instructed recruiting staff to interview him, then overrode advice that he was not suitable for the job.
New Energy Minister Simon Watts has previously defended the appointments on behalf of the government, saying
"We need to ensure EECA has a range of sector and governance experience to ensure the board drives value for money."
"Appointed members are also subject to collective and individual duties as set out in the Crown Entities Act 2004. This includes acting consistently with the board's objectives, functions, and Statement of Intent, so I am not concerned."
Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
