Taranaki's energy industry hosted the media on a tour of some of its sites in the region. Rob Maetzig was part of the contingent.

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THERE'S a Wellington-based energy industry organisation called Pepanz, as in Petroleum Exploration and Production Association of New Zealand.

It used to be called Peanz, as in Petroleum Exploration Association of New Zealand, but a few years ago it changed its name to reflect the fact that it not only represents exploration companies, but also "downstream" organisations such as power companies.

Last week the formidable lobby group organised a media tour of a selection of energy sites in Taranaki - and had executives representing each site speaking freely about their operations.

The energy industry is notorious for a say-nothing stance on any issue, so last week's tour was a refreshing change.

Maybe the energy industry has finally realised how important it is to Taranaki. These days it contributes more to the region's economy than the dairy industry and it has a rapidly growing number of employees interested in hearing what is going on.

There is so much going on that it would probably take a week rather than a day for a media contingent to tour everywhere.

There's the billion-dollar Maari oilfield development off the Taranaki coast, and further to the north but still way offshore there's the Tui oilfield which is loading up big tankers with Taranaki crude for export overseas. In between there's the Maui field, which is still pumping large amounts of gas ashore and will soon be subject to more exploration drilling.

Off Ohawe there's the Kupe gasfield, which is being developed in another billion-dollar project. That will soon begin pumping gas and condensate to a new production station being built on the coast.

Off Motunui there's Pohokura, which is New Zealand's big gas and oil producer. It feeds a production station on the shore right next to the Methanex methanol plant.

There is plenty of action onshore as well. There's Rimu-Kaui in South Taranaki, and the veteran Kapuni field north-west of Hawera that continues to be a magnificent performer 40 years after beginning production. Then there are the Waihapa production station south-east of Stratford, McKee north- east of Waitara, and the smaller Kaimiro and Ngatoro operations near Inglewood.

And that's only the upstream stuff.