Submission by NZTech to the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE)
NZTech has lodged its submission on From the Ground Up – A Draft Strategy to Unlock New Zealand’s Geothermal Potential, welcoming the opportunity to strengthen Aotearoa New Zealand’s low-carbon energy future. The submission supports the direction of the strategy while highlighting areas to ensure it delivers on climate goals, supports investment, and unlocks new technology-driven opportunities.
Key Position
NZTech supports the strategy’s vision of building world-leading geothermal innovation and accelerating energy resilience. The organisation emphasises that the framework must go further to highlight geothermal energy’s role as a low-emissions power source, attract international investment, foster strong iwi/Māori partnerships, and enable emerging industries such as data centres to scale sustainably.
Key Recommendations
The submission highlights five priority areas for improvement:
- Climate Positioning – Explicitly recognise geothermal as a low-emissions, net zero-aligned energy source, strengthening its role in climate and export strategies.
- Private and International Investment – Encourage investment in supercritical geothermal technology and develop pathways to attract global capital while enabling iwi/Māori participation.
- Demand Development – Balance supply and demand by including measures such as Renewable Electricity Certificates (RECs) and targeted incentives for clean-tech industries.
- Partnerships with iwi/Māori – Ensure iwi are engaged throughout planning stages and supported with education, joint ventures, and industry partnerships to realise long-term aspirations.
- Data Centre Synergies – Recognise geothermal and data centres as complementary growth sectors, leveraging geographic clusters to create export opportunities, jobs, and regional development.
The Bigger Picture
As New Zealand’s united technology industry body, NZTech represents over 2,500 organisations across startups, corporates, multinationals, education, and government – employing more than 10 percent of the national workforce. The tech sector contributes around $22 billion to GDP and is New Zealand’s third-largest export sector, with software exports growing at more than 20 percent annually.
Ensuring geothermal energy is developed as a clean, resilient, and economically valuable resource will not only decarbonise industry but also power the growth of technology-intensive sectors, strengthen regional economies, and future-proof Aotearoa’s energy system.
Moving Forward
NZTech’s submission underscores its commitment to working with government and industry to realise Aotearoa’s geothermal potential. By aligning clean energy development with digital export opportunities — including data centres and AI infrastructure — New Zealand can position itself as a global leader in sustainable, technology-driven growth.
