Gas market
We have a central role in governing, monitoring and advising on the gas market to ensure that gas is delivered in a safe, efficient, fair, reliable and environmentally sustainable manner.
On this page
The Gas Industry Company
We oversee and monitor the activities of the Gas Industry Company (GIC), which was established in 2004 as the gas industry body under Part 4A of the Gas Act 1992.
Gas Industry Company(external link)
Gas Act 1992(external link) — legislation.govt.nz
The GIC is reponsible for making formal recommendations to the Minister of Energy and Resources on the rules and regulations for the gas industry. It also has a role in supporting industry-led arrangements.
We assess recommendations made by the GIC on:
- gas processing
- wholesaling
- transmission
- distribution and retailing
- administering parts of the Gas Act 1992.
Other agencies
Several other regulatory agencies also have oversight of aspects of the gas sector:
- Energy Safety, part of WorkSafe, is responsible for the administration and development of parts of the Gas Act, and for regulations and Codes of Practice relating to safety, quality and measurement of gas.
- The Commerce Commission administers information disclosure and default/customised price-quality regulation, under Part 4 of the Commerce Act 1986 that applies to gas pipeline services companies.
Energy Safety(external link) — Worksafe NZ
Related information
- Utilities Disputes Limited provides free and independent dispute resolution services for electricity, gas, and water complaints. By law, all gas retailers and distributers must be members of this scheme.
- Compare the price plans of gas retailers in your area at Consumer NZ's Powerswitch website.
- New Zealand Petroleum & Minerals manages the Crown's oil, gas, mineral and coal resources.
In this section
Gas security
This page is about gas security, a review of the Maui pipeline outage and a gas disruption study the government commissioned.
Gas regulatory framework
The gas market is governed by regulations and rules jointly developed by the Gas Industry Company and the government.
Gas supply and demand
Natural gas underpins electricity supply security, supports a substantial petrochemical manufacturing sector and is used by many export industries and over 266,000 consumers.
Gas operator status
Gas distributors may need to apply for gas operator status to perform certain activities in some areas.
Amending the Gas Act
Parliament has passed an Act that will improve information disclosure and increase the maximum financial penalty for breaching gas regulations