Oil and gas exploration giant OMV has come back swinging at an iwi leader's legal action against its boss.
Mike Smith of Ngāpuhi and Ngāti Kahu is filing a lawsuit against OMV's chief executive Rainer Seele in Vienna, claiming the leader is directly responsible for the destruction of indegionous land and populations.
"By continuing the search for new oil and gas to burn in the face of the climate emergency, companies like OMV are condemning our grandchildren to a future of immense suffering," said Smith.
"The leaders at OMV are well aware of climate science, which continues to deliver increasingly alarming predictions for the future of humanity if we keep burning fossil fuels. If decision makers like Rainer Seele choose not to act in the face of this crisis, they must be held criminally responsible."
But OMV New Zealand - one of the last companies to drill and carry out deep sea exploration in New Zealand - says the claim is not credible, and it's investing more than $800 million to reduce carbon emissions.
"Our New Zealand sustainability goals are far reaching, and we invest in numerous initiatives with a positive impact on the environment and the community," said Gabriel Selischi, senior vice-president of OMV Australasia.
"We are proud of these initiatives and our long-standing relationships going back nearly 20 years with iwi and other stakeholders in New Zealand."
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He said OMV, which employs more than 400 Kiwis, backs the Government's 2050 carbon zero goal."
"The Government's Interim Climate Change Commission has stated that gas is an essential component of New Zealand's transition to a greener future, and OMV as New Zealand's largest producer of natural gas is proud of the role we are playing in that transition."
OMV runs the Māui and Pohokura gas fields, which contain about two-thirds of the country's gas reserves, and the Maari oilfield.
Smith's suit is set to be filed with the International Criminal Court.
"The company is one of just 100 that have caused more than 70 percent of the world's climate emissions," said Smith.
OMV is currently looking for new gas and oil sources off the New Zealand coast.
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"A find of oil or gas will fuel climate change and have devastating consequences for our people and biodiversity," said Smith.
"The nightmare of the First and Second World Wars is nothing compared to the legacy we are leaving our children. The International Criminal Court was established to hold corporate and political leaders, who willfully perpetrate these types of atrocities, to account for their actions.
"Standing here in beautiful Vienna I cannot understand why OMV would seek to undermine the proud cultural achievements of its people. We all have a choice to make - either make the rapid changes required, or prepare for the inevitability of world war, famine, and ecological collapse."
Scientists have warned progress in cutting fossil fuel use has been too slow to keep warming to below the Paris Agreement targets.
Seele is paid more than €2 million a year for his role as OMV chief executive.
Newshub.
