About Us
 
 
 
About The Gas Industry Company
 
The Gas Industry Company Limited is an industry owned entity established to fulfil the role of the industry body under the Gas Act 1992. The Gas Industry Co, as the industry body, is the co-regulator of the gas industry, working with both the Government and the gas industry to develop outcomes that meet the Government’s policy objectives as stated in the Government's April 2008 Policy Statement on Gas Governance.
 
As a co-regulatory body, the Gas Industry Co is able to make recommendations to the Minister of Energy on a wide range of industry matters, including the making of rules and regulations in relation to the wholesaling, processing, transmission, distribution and retailing of gas.
 

The Government's overall policy objective for the gas industry is “to ensure that gas is delivered to existing and new customers in a safe, efficient, fair, reliable, and environmentally sustainable manner.”
 
The Gas Industry Co is committed to:
 
  • Where possible, developing industry-led solutions to issues facing the gas industry in New Zealand;
  • Being consultative with industry participants and consumers;
  • Adopting principles by pragmatic approaches to meeting its objectives;
  • Being professional and independent, with transparent processes;
  • Acting with integrity, responsibility and respect; and
  • Achieving high standards of excellence.
 
 
History
 
The Gas Industry Co is a company incorporated under the Companies Act 1993. It was established by the New Zealand gas industry to be the industry body under the Gas Act 1992.
 
The changes to the Gas Act made in late 2004 that enabled the establishment of an industry body were as a result of a comprehensive review of the gas sector undertaken by the Government during 2001 and 2002. The objective of that review was to ensure the gas sector could meet the Government’s overall energy policy objective, which is to ensure that energy is delivered to all classes of consumers in an efficient, fair, reliable, and environmentally sustainable manner.
 
In its Policy Statement released in March 2003, the Government invited the gas industry to establish a governance structure and work programme to deliver on the expectations set by the Government in that statement. The Policy Statement stated that the Government favoured industry-led solutions where possible, but that it was prepared to use regulatory solutions where necessary. This arrangement was consistent with a regime based on self-regulation.
 
The Gas Industry Steering Group (GISG) was formed to respond to the Government’s Policy Statement. Following consideration of the requirements and the proposed self-regulatory governance structure that group advised the Government that the industry would require some form of regulatory backing to achieve the Government’s objectives and outcomes. The Government agreed with the GISG’s position and changes to the Gas Act were enacted to give effect to a co-regulatory model of governance.
 
To provide for a co-regulatory model of governance the Government published a policy statement in October 2004 entitled the Government Policy Statement on Gas Governance. This policy statement was replaced in April 2008 by the latest Government Policy Statement on Gas Governance (GPS). The GPS sets out the specific outcomes that the Government expects the Gas Industry Co and/or the gas industry to develop. The Gas Act provides for the Government to create an Energy Commission if the industry body does not achieve the Government’s required objectives.
 
 
   
   
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