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Bernard Hickey laments the LNG decision, asks a question we've been asking, and speaks with energy analyst Larry Blair.

RNZ's Midday Rural News spoke to Mike Casey about the Great Electric Cherry Migration, which arrived in Wellington the day after the Government announced an LNG import terminal that's set to cost "north of $1 billion". Casey says it's the wrong answer to the dry year problem and that this transition is not just about moving from fossil fuels to electricity, it's about moving from being reliant on energy imports to gaining energy sovereignty and generating as much of the energy we need ourselves, as he does on his orchard.

"You can call it a forced investment. You can call it a levy. You can call it a tax. It is a guaranteed increase in New Zealand's power bills with no guaranteed return on that investment. And I think that's a bit of a howler." Mike Casey speaks with Newstalk ZB's Kerre Woodham about the proposed LNG terminal and why New Zealand would be better off with a portfolio approach, including more renewables, more solar, better use of existing domestic gas reserves and coal or diesel peakers if required.