New Zealand's exit from gas was meant to be more orderly than this.
Under the previous government, officials had started work on a Gas Transition Plan, consulting on how to phase down gas while keeping the lights on. The idea was to map out which uses should be prioritised, when new supply would taper off, and how to avoid simply swapping gas for coal when shortages hit.
Alongside it, the GIDI fund helped pay for the hardware needed to switch.
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