NZ's energy future debated on stage in Queenstown

Political leaders on stage at Electrify Queenstown

Battle lines are being drawn over the country's energy future, with Labour promising to pull the plug on a proposed liquefied natural gas (LNG) import terminal if it wins the next election.

MPs and leaders from six parties clashed over fossil fuels, blackouts, power prices and whether the country's biggest electricity companies should be broken up at an energy debate in Queenstown on Monday afternoon.

Labour Party leader Chris Hipkins said the proposed $1 billion gas terminal would cost every single household at a time when the country should be doubling down on renewables.

New Zealand's energy security lay in wind, solar, hydro and geothermal power, he said.