But counsel for 64-year-old Rosemary Anne Penwarden argued the phoney document was never intended to be seen as authentic, and instead had a satirical purpose.
The defendant appeared in the Dunedin District Court yesterday for a jury trial before Judge Michael Turner after pleading not guilty to forgery and using a forged document.
The Petroleum Exploration and Production Association of New Zealand (Pepanz) conference went ahead on September 30, 2019, at Queenstown’s Millennium Hotel, attended by local and foreign delegates.
Also present was a group of vocal protesters, including Penwarden.
Twelve days earlier she allegedly used her friend’s laptop to draft a letter saying the conference had been postponed.
"We apologise for the inconvenience. We will endeavour to reimburse stakeholders for registrations, including flights to and from Queenstown where possible," it said.
"While Minister [Dr Megan] Woods can see a fine future for natural gas as the bridge fuel and stock for a hydrogen economy, the schoolchildren have changed everything.
"Our only recourse at this point is to completely reassess our approach to the basis of our industry, petroleum.
"Furthermore, despite our best efforts at secrecy, activists have discovered this year’s conference and were yet again planning noise and disruption.
"But there is a silver lining to all of this: we will not be there to listen to that incessant chanting."
Crown prosecutor Richard Smith told jurors in his opening address that the final version was typed on Pepanz letterhead to give the appearance of "an authentic document".
On September 22, 2019, the defendant allegedly created a free email account — called conferencepepanz@gmail.com — from her home in Waitati and less than a week before the event was scheduled to go ahead she sent the letter to delegates.
Pepanz office and events manager Carolyn Clark said news of the fake cancellation quickly made its way to her office.
"We all dropped everything to investigate what was happening," she said.
Ms Clark said it seemed like the majority of those invited had received Penwarden’s email but they were quickly contacted to confirm the event was still on.
"It was Ms Penwarden’s desire to cause as much disruption as she could, including having attendees failing to show up," Mr Smith said.
"You might empathise or even admire the cause ... but this isn’t a court of morals.
"Whether you agree with Ms Penwarden’s concerns is not the issue; it’s not the task."
Counsel Ben Smith accepted immediately his client had created and sent the document in question.
He acknowledged she protested at the Queenstown event and had strong opinions about environmental issues, but had not intended her letter be considered genuine.
"She didn’t think they were going to up sticks. She didn’t think she was going to stop the industry, stop the conference," he said.
"She was trying to make a point, a humorous point."
Geophysics expert Dr Andrew Long was booked as a speaker at the Pepanz conference and was in Texas following another convention when he got Penwarden’s email.
"When I received it my initial perception was it was real," he said.
Dr Long said he almost cancelled his travel plans to New Zealand but forwarded the email to the organisers to check it was legitimate.
"When I read it a while later there were some elements in there referring to environmental issues ... I wondered whether someone had hijacked the account," he said.
The defence is likely to call witnesses today; verdicts are expected tomorrow.
rob.kidd@odt.co.nz , Court reporter
