1 post tagged “geothermal”

Billed as "Providing information on understanding and growing your geothermal capability" the hui - organised by GNS Science & Te Puni Kokiri and held at the Heritage Hotel - was aimed at Maori owners of landblocks holding geothermal resources.  According to the invitation panui:

The prime objective of this seminar is to provide opportunities for the Maori economic sector to engage and focus on successful pathways to commercialising their unique resource potential

As would be expected the majority of those attending were connected with the larger Ngati Tuwharetoa and Te Arawa trusts & incorporations.  Overall the hui provided a good range of subject areas and relevant expertise, with the Chilean speaker Luis Urzura (who is also from the Mapuche people on his mothers side) drawing a particularly good response from the audience

But as with last years geothermal conference the resource potential was overwhelmingly focused on energy rather than extremophiles.  This imbalance is difficult to resolve given that the financial cost and therefore risk of an unsuccessful drilling exploration on just one site can be in the region of $7 - 8m; larger than the entire annual funding available from FRST for Maori research & innovation.  Better to build deals where the energy companies carry most of the risk rather than the landowners or otherwise focus on local solutions for papakainga

 

 

 

"Yes our use of geothermal will be sustainable but the point is our people are broke and want to get the maximum return from their resource" - Jim Gray 

 

 

 

"In many ways [the use of geothermal resources] has to be led and driven by Maori - I don't see it as being government's role in leading where Maori research & development should go" - Reece Moors