Auckland, 02 October 2014 - Oil Free Auckland activists held a funeral for the dead oil industry as the part-Statoil sponsored Petroleum Summit ended tonight at Skycity Convention Centre.

“We have held this funeral today because the oil industry is dead and the time for Clean Energy is now.” Says Oil Free Auckland spokesperson Genevieve Toop.
“When the Rockefellers, founders of the 20th Century oil industry are divesting $50 billion from fossil fuels you know there’s no future in oil. Renewable energy industries are booming around the world and that is the future for New Zealand.”

“We're also here standing in solidarity with those who have travelled with the Waiho Papa Moana Hikoi from Northland to Auckland this week to show their opposition to Statoil's planned deep sea oil drilling."

The Norwegian oil giant, Statoil has been granted a 15-year exploration permit (2) for the Northland basin which lies off the coast of Ahipara beach. It will be looking to drill between 1,000 and 2,000 metres below the ocean surface.

"Deep sea oil drilling is extremely risky and it brings few benefits to Northland communities and the people of New Zealand. On top of that burning more fossil fuels contributes to; climate change and its effects such as floods, droughts, extreme weather events and food shortages”
“There is no future in oil. There is an exciting and prosperous future in renewable and community-owned energy.”

The conference has been plagued by protest from beginning to end. A thousand people marched on the conference on Tuesday sending a strong message to Statoil that they should “leave our seas alone”. Greenpeace activists also disrupted Simon Bridges opening speech yesterday and 25 oily activists stood outside the entrance to the conference dinner last night.

Ends

(1) http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/sep/22/rockefeller-heirs-divest-fossil-fuels-climate-change
(2) http://www.statoil.com/en/about/worldwide/newzealand/Pages/default.aspx

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