Kiwis are waking to freezing temperatures this morning and the\xa0threat of rolling power outages due to a nationwide grid emergency\xa0on the coldest day of the year.\xa0\xa0
Christchurch, Twizel and Mt Cook Airport were the coldest spots in the country this morning, dropping to a bone-chilling -6.4C around 5.30am, according to\xa0MetService.\xa0\xa0
Alexandra wasn\u2019t far behind at -5C, while Taumarunui was the coldest town in the North Island at -4.6C. Palmerston North was at -3C, Masterton at -2C, Levin, Taupo and Paraparaumu were all around -1.5C and Hamilton was at -1C.\xa0\xa0
Auckland got down to 4.1C this morning, but chilly winds in the city meant it felt like 2C, according to MetService.\xa0\xa0
But despite the icy temperatures, households\xa0have been told to conserve electricity\xa0and not use their heaters as much to prevent overloading the country\u2019s\xa0power grid\xa0as energy demand outstrips supply.\xa0\xa0
The country\u2019s\xa0grid operator Transpower\xa0issued a warning notice in advance, saying it did not have enough generation offers to meet demand between 7am and 9am Friday.\xa0
People have been asked not to use heaters or lights in rooms they were not using, not to charge electronic devices and vehicles and to delay using washing machines, clothes dryers and dishwashers.\xa0
The Minister of Energy has also urged New Zealanders to conserve electricity this morning. Meanwhile, Government minister and Act Party leader David Seymour has called the potential cuts \u201cThird World stuff\u201d.\xa0
Simeon Brown spoke with Mike Hosking on\xa0Newstalk ZB\xa0about the energy sector\u2019s request to save power this morning.\xa0
\u201cI knew it would be challenging and I knew it would be tight... but the reality is the outcome of six years of not sending the right messages to our electricity sector, to make sure we have the generation we need,\u201d Brown said.\xa0
\u201cI think people are waking up this morning and they are aware that it is tight, and I\u2019m very grateful that New Zealanders are heeding the message this morning.\u201d\xa0
He added: \u201cIt\u2019s what happens when you say by 2030 we\u2019re going to be 100 per cent renewable, which is completely impossible to meet.\xa0
\u201cIt\u2019s what happens when you ban oil and gas exploration, which is what the last government did.\u201d\xa0
Brown blamed the energy warning on the previous Labour-led Government policies, which focused on moving to more renewable sources of electricity.\xa0
\u201cThe industry said, this is having a chilling impact on investment.\u201d\xa0
Brown described the $16 billion Lake Onslow pumped hydro scheme as a \u201cwhite elephant costing billions of dollars\u201d and dumped it in December.\xa0
Referring to the Paris Agreement, to keep global warming to no more than 1.5\xb0C by reducing emissions by 45 per cent by 2030 and reaching net zero by 2050, Brown said: \u201cLabour New Zealand is all about the bumper sticker and the slogan, which all sounds lovely and gives you warm fuzzies when you\u2019re in Paris, but it doesn\u2019t keep the lights on in New Zealand.\u201d\xa0
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