Greymouth Petroleum chief executive Mark Dunphy has been described as “a lone wolf” and he’s the only major oil and gas player in New Zealand not to belong to the industry association, Petroleum Exploration & Production New Zealand or Pepanz.
Nevertheless, he did attend this year’s annual conference and was clearly worried about the Labour-led government’s attitude to the industry.
“My company supplies gas to people who manufacture sugar, glass, wood products, fertiliser, many core industries that I think help keep New Zealand competitive.
“I’m hoping this Labour government will be very focused on the economics to the consumer when it considers changes to this area.”
The government, of course, has since banned any further offshore exploration but Mr Dunphy wasn’t returning calls to find out his reaction.
Greymouth Petroleum, established in 2000, has several permit sites including Ngatoro, Radnor, Turangi and Moturoa and those permits won’t be affected.
Greymouth sells gas to wholesale and industrial customers so doubtless the company will be benefiting from the slow grind higher in oil prices over the last year.
Dunphy and the Masfen family are Greymouth’s major shareholders and the company is the second-largest New Zealand owned oil and gas operator behind the Todd family.
A lawyer turned banker whose career took him from Australia to Ireland, Dunphy was previously chairman and shareholder of Fay Richwhite-controlled Cultus Petroleum and of Interstate Energy, which was sold in 2003.
Dunphy and wife Rosie are joint owners of Coal Pit winery in Gibbston Valley.
The interest in wine comes from Rosie, who spent three years studying horticulture in Sydney before commuting between Ireland and Essex to continue her studies.
The 12ha vineyard has its own architecturally designed winery and specialises in pinot noir. They have four grown children. Through Greymouth Petroleum subsidiary Prospect they own an Epsom home valued at more than $9 million.
They are foundation donors to King’s School in Auckland and regular donors to community projects in Gibbston Valley.