The Herald reports:Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has written to Labour leader Chris Hipkins urging him to commit his party to supporting offshore exploration for natural gas for at least the next 10 years, in an effort to achieve a “credible, bipartisan approach”. But Hipkins has called it a “political stunt rather than a genuine attempt at building bipartisan consensus”. No company will want to invest in gas exploration if they think the next Government may ban it in a few years. Gas reserves have been depleting quicker than predicted, with Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) data showing that, as of January 1, 2025, reserves had reduced 27% compared to last year. A March briefing to ministers said domestic gas supply “is not adequate to meet demand and reserves are falling faster than anticipated”.