"The people most affected by this decision haven’t been listened to and now face real uncertainty," says PEPANZ CEO Cameron Madgwick.

"The Government’s own advisors say this decision will cost the Crown billions of dollars and will more than likely increase emissions, but it’s the human cost that is most striking.

"Thousands of New Zealanders work in the industry and nearly 400,000 homes and businesses rely on natural gas and LPG which now has a very uncertain future.

"Experts warned this move will increase the cost of electricity to New Zealanders but this has been ignored. This is not good news for households struggling with the rising cost of living.

"We need natural gas as a transition fuel towards a lower carbon economy. Turning off the tap when we have nothing concrete to replace it with is dangerous and irresponsible.

"Thousands of people have raised their concerns through our ‘Energy Voices’ campaign and we will now be talking to them about the way forward from here."